Aftermath
by Torph909
Summary: Sequel to 'Jackle's story'. Jackle regains consciousness, only to find himself trapped in a cell. Who locked him up? Why? As these questions are answered something is reveled that makes Jackle realise how bad the situation truly is. Rated T for violence.
1. Waking up

_AN: __**READ THIS: **__This is a sequel to 'Jackle's story'. Read that first (If you haven't already) otherwise a lot of things won't make sense. _

It was cold. That was what Jackle noticed at first. He could feel that he was lying on his back, but he couldn't open his eyes. He thought for a moment, trying to think of what might of happened. But then he remembered. NiGHTS. He felt a tear slide down his cheek, the first of many. He stayed like that for a long time, crying silently. Until he heard a loud clanging noise. Surprised, Jackle quickly sat up, eyes shooting open. As he did there was a loud crunching noise and a horrible pain shot through his back. Jackle gasped and fell back to the floor, muttering a few choice curse words under his breath. Whilst he lay on the floor, he noticed his situation. He was in, what seemed to be, a cell. It was dark, dirty and rather small. There was a locked, barred door on one side of the cell. The cell was lit by a small gas lamp which hung from the ceiling, giving off a strange, green glow. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of rough, rock, which made Jackle suspect that he was in some kind of basement or cellar. The corridor outside was pitch black, but Jackle could see more of the green lamps in the other cells. Despite the fact that they were lit, the other cells seemed to be empty. Jackle waited until the pain had subsided, then sat up. Although he moved slowly, it still hurt. When he was sitting upright, he moved his arms around carefully, working out the kinks. Then he stood up, leaning against the wall for support. His body felt uncomfortably stiff. He made his way over to the door and tried to open it. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. Jackle frowned and wiped the tears off his face. Why would somebody lock him up? The last thing he remembered was NiGHTS knocking him out. Did NiGHTS imprison him here?

"_No."_ Jackle decided, _"He isn't like that. Even if he hates me now, he wouldn't lock me up."_ Jackle put the question to the back of his mind and focused on how he could get out of the cell. Jackle's mind was blank for a moment. Then he realised, he had heard something earlier on. Maybe there was some else down here. Jackle walked up to the bars and stared into the darkness, trying to see if someone was there. In the distance, there was a dim, blue light. It looked like it was coming from some kind of lantern. Jackle tried to call out and get the person's attention. Instead he let off a feeble croak. Jackle cleared his throat and tried again, but his speech was no louder than a whisper. He noticed a small stone next to his left foot. He picked it up and hit it against the bars. The noise echoed throughout the cellar. There was a pause, then the light moved slowly towards Jackle. Jackle let out a relived sigh, a small smile playing at his lips. Whilst he felt terrible about what he had had to do to NiGHTS, it was good to know he wouldn't be stuck in the cell for much longer. As the light came closer, Jackle realised something. The person's silhouette was the same shape…as a jester's outfit. Jackle felt a wave of shock crash through him. NiGHTS **had** captured him! What would NiGHTS do to him? Try and persuade Jackle to help him again? Keep him locked up here for the rest of his life? Make hi-

Jackle's train of thought derailed when the figure came into clear view. It wasn't NiGHTS, although Jackle couldn't blame himself for thinking that it was. His outfit was almost exactly the same as NiGHTS'. The only differences were that, instead of NiGHTS' different shades of purple, his outfit was red and black and, whereas NiGHTS had one large ideya shard on his chest, this person had three, smaller crystals. His skin was as white as a sheet of paper, he had black makeup around his eyes and mouth. He was holding a lantern (as Jackle suspected) in his right hand which was where the light was coming from. It didn't take to long for Jackle to figure out who it was. It had to be NiGHTS' twin, Reala. Jackle didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Had Reala locked him up here? Maybe this was his revenge against Jackle, for letting NiGHTS escape? Reala stood in front of the bars and stared at Jackle for a moment, studying him. Then he gestured for him to stand back with his left hand. Jackle let out another relived sigh and did as he was told. Maybe Reala could explain everything when he was out of this cell. Jackle backed up until he was touching the wall behind him. Then Reala did something Jackle didn't expect. Instead of drawing out a set of keys and unlocking the door, Reala took a few steps back and smashed his left foot into it. The door flew open and crashed into the wall with a long 'clang'.

"Oh. Well…that works I guess." Jackle murmured. His voice sounded strangely raspy and when he spoke it felt strained. Jackle put that to the back of his mind for now. Reala stood where he was and gestured for Jackle to come out. Jackle obliged. Once he was outside the cell he noticed how long the corridor was. It seemed to stretch on forever in both directions, green lights running down both sides of it. NiGHTS had told Jackle how important rank and status were to Reala, so Jackle bowed.

"Thank you, Sir." Jackle said, for some reason his voice was still rather quiet.

"What is your name?" Reala asked. His voice sounded very commanding and, with lack of a better word, posh. He seemed to give off an aura which made him appear a lot older and wiser than he was.

"I'm Jackle." Jackle replied, standing up, "And I already know who you are, of course."

"Jackle?" Reala asked, frowning, "NiGHTS' friend?"

"Not anymore, Sir." Jackle replied, growing worried. Did Reala already know? How would he explain it to him? To Jackle's relief, Reala replied,

"Of course. Given the circumstances I hardly think any of us will be able to associate ourselves with him."

"You know what happened then, Sir?" Jackle asked.

"I would have to be rather dull if I did not." Reala replied, coldly, as though Jackle had insulted him.

"I'm sorry, but what do you mean?" Jackle asked, taken aback, "I was the only one there and I haven't told anyone about yet." Reala stared blankly at Jackle for second, then he sighed and shook his head.

"This is going to take a lot of explaining." He murmured. Then he looked up and said, "Come." He began to walk off the way he came. Jackle followed, with some difficulty (his legs still felt a bit stiff). Reala's lantern lit their path as they walked. Jackle kept on trying to clear his throat, to make his voice less raspy. None of them said anything for a while, then Reala spoke,

"There is no point staying silent, tell me what is on your mind." Jackle blinked.

"I was just wondering, Sir." Jackle began, his voice less strained, "What is this place? How did I get here? Why was I locked up?" Reala was silent for a moment,

"What is the last thing you remember, Jackle?" He asked. Jackle frowned, then replied,

"I was fighting NiGHTS. Then…he must've knocked me out."

"That is all you remember?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Nothing after that?"

"No, Sir." Reala was silent again.

"I suppose that would be the best place to start." He muttered to himself. Then he turned to look at Jackle. "When you left on your last assignment with NiGHTS, neither of you came back for a while. Wizeman became worried that something might have gone wrong. Eventually when all the nightmaren, including me, had retired to our quarters, you both showed up.

"I was fast asleep when NiGHTS knocked at my door. He held you in his arms, you were obviously unconscious. NiGHTS would not tell me what had happened. All he said was that you needed to be taken care of and that he was sorry."

"Sorry?" Jackle interrupted. He instantly felt nervous as Reala gave him a threatening look.

"Yes." He replied, coldly, "'Sorry', I would prefer it if you did not interrupt me anymore Jackle." Jackle nodded his head quickly.

"As I was saying." Reala continued, "He seemed to be very upset. He kept on saying sorry, more to himself than anyone else, and I could tell he was trying not to breakdown. Anyway, I returned you to your lair, as NiGHTS had requested. The next mourning, he had disappeared.

"I was not there when you woke up, in fact the only time I have ever seen you active and awake is now. But, apparently, when you woke you instantly went to Wizeman. When you told Wizeman of NiGHTS' actions, he punished you for failing."

"Punished me?" Jackle asked, surprised.

"That is how the story goes." Reala replied, simply.

"But, how come I don't remember it?"

"I am getting there." Reala insisted, holding up his lantern-free hand, "In any case, Wizeman told the rest of the castle of the happening. He then instructed for you to be held down here.

"I trust you do not know where 'here' is?"

"I haven't got a clue, Sir." Jackle replied, honestly.

"This," Reala began, "Is The Dungeon." Jackle frowned, then cursed himself for being so stupid. The Dungeon was the place where Wizeman kept the nightmaren who were no longer able to perform the tasks set for them but could still be of some use. It was at the very bottom of nightmare castle, like Jackle's lair. Wizeman would send a nightmaren down here, lock them up in a cell and put them in an enchanted sleep. He would only keep them alive if they had a trait which Wizeman wanted to give to his other creations. Wizeman could just copy it from the sleeping nightmaren. If they didn't have an important trait, they would be executed.

"Why did Wizeman send me down here, Sir?" Jackle asked, bewildered.

"He believed you were no longer fit for action because of your condition. He kept you, so he could use your intelligence in his other creations." Reala replied.

"So he sent you down here to wake me up." Jackle realised, "Why?"

"Wizeman did not send me." Reala stated, a sad look in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Jackle asked, confused, "I thought nightmaren could only be woken up if Wizeman wanted them to be."

"Yes, that is **usually** the case." Reala replied, he sounded a bit distant, as if lost in thought, "However in **this** case…" Reala trailed off. Then he said,

"It will make sense if I continue my story." The authority had returned to his voice. "Whilst you slept, we were all instructed to capture NiGHTS. We were unsuccessful. NiGHTS paired up with two dreamers. The three of them, launched an attack against nightmare. They fought their way through the nightmaren, including me, unti-"

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir." Jackle began, "But how could they fight all of the nightmaren at once?"

"They did not fight them all." Reala replied, "They snuck past or ran away from a lot of them and when they **did** fight, it was only a few of them at a time. NiGHTS easily got rid of them, he **was** created to be better than every other nightmaren after all.

"In any case, their only concern was confronting Wizeman, so they avoided as many nightmaren as they could." Jackle felt a sense of dread pass through him. Part of him really didn't want to hear what happened next.

"They did confront Wizeman eventually." Reala continued, his voice becoming distant again, "And…well…"

"Well?" Jackle asked, the feeling of dread growing.

"Well…" Reala began, "Wizeman could not…" Jackle stopped walking suddenly. Reala stopped as well and turned around to look at him.

"You mean, Wizeman is…" Jackle trailed off. There was silence.

"Yes." Reala muttered. Jackle's jaw dropped. It was hard to believe, after all Wizeman had the power of a god. Jackle knew that, when Reala had said they had both fought each other, one of them would have fallen. But, in all honesty, he had been preparing himself for the announcement of NiGHTS' downfall not Wizeman's. Jackle felt weak at the knees.

"Wizeman is dead?" Jackle gasped, horrified. There was a pause.

"Yes." Reala said again, looking at Jackle sadly.

"_What do I do now?"_ Jackle thought, _"I don't have any orders to follow. But, that's why I was created in the first place, to follow orders."_

"When he died." Reala began, his voice shaking slightly, "His powers must have failed. All the enchantments on the nightmaren down here wore off."

"But, I only woke up just now." Jackle informed Reala, eagerly jumping back into the conversation, trying to take his mind off what had happened.

"I suspect that, after your punishment, you slept naturally. You probably needed the rest." Reala replied, "During my fight with NiGHTS, I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, all the nightmaren had disappeared.

"I went out and searched for them for a while, but I realised I would need someone else to help me."

"Me?!" Jackle asked, surprised, "But…haven't you heard…I'm a bit…you know…"

"NiGHTS told me a lot about you." Reala interrupted, "He said that, while your outbursts are often violent, if you are not stressed or anxious then they will not happen so often."

"But, why me?"

"I did not choose you myself. I only came down here to find someone, anyone. And I found you. It was simply coincidence." Reala explained. Jackle wasn't too happy about this. He didn't really think he was reliable and the thought of messing up and making Reala angry wasn't a pleasant one. He began to walk again. Jackle jogged back to his side and walked with him.

"So, did the other nightmaren down here leave as well?" Jackle asked.

"Well, do you see them anywhere?" Reala asked, sarcastically.

"How did they get out of their cells?" Jackle asked, "I needed you to open mine for me."

"The cell doors are very poorly manufactured." Reala explained, "They can be opened easily. But most of the nightmaren had been here a while and their body's were still recovering. The one's that had not been here so long could get themselves out. It is my guess that one or two of the more generous one's let them out."

"Hang on." Jackle began, "How long was I down here?"

"I do not know." Reala replied, "If I were to guess, I would say about five years." Jackle's eyes widened.

"FIVE YEARS?!" He exclaimed.

"Yes."

"But…how can I still move, shouldn't my muscles stopped working or something?" Jackle asked.

"Wizeman's spell keeps all the nightmaren in The Dungeon preserved, should they ever be needed conscious." Reala replied, "In other words, you should be more or less in the same state you were before your sleep.

"The only side effects you could have are stiff bones and partial memory loss."

"That's why I don't remember being punished, Sir?"

"Yes."

"What about trouble talking?" Jackle asked, "Could that be a side effect?"

"I suspect that, due to lack of use, that could happen also." Reala agreed.

"_Well, that explains it then."_ Jackle thought.

"What was that loud banging noise earlier on?" Jackle asked.

"That was me." Reala replied, "One of the cell's lights had gone out and wanted to check if anyone was in there."

"So you kicked down the door, Sir?"

"Yes."

_"That's a bit violent of you, Sir."_ Jackle thought, a small smile spreading across his face.

They walked in silence for a while.

"This corridor is very long." Jackle noted. Reala smiled slightly.

"Yes, it goes on for the entire width of the castle."

"If you don't mind me asking, Sir." Jackle began, "What do we do now?"

"We look for the other nightmaren." Reala replied, "We regroup with them and think up another plan from there."

"Sounds good." Jackle murmured.

_AN: Well, that's that then. Sorry it's taken me so long to upload, but I kept thinking I should do it another way and starting from scratch. Also, I went on holiday for a week so I couldn't do any writing then. In case you hadn't figured it out yet, this takes place after NID. Jackle's story took place before and I just thought "Why not?". Anyway, R&R._


	2. Bad first impressions

_AN: It's the longest chapter I've done! Horray! I want a cookie! When it changes perspective there will be a _ symbol inbetween the paragraphs._

Reala and Jackle both walked in silence for a while. There was not much else to discuss, besides Reala knew that Jackle had a lot to take in. He would probably need some time to think. It was almost completely silent. The only noise was the quiet crackle of the flame in Reala's lantern. Reala wasn't sure what to make of Jackle. From what he had heard about him, he was meant to be a complete lunatic. Those were, of course, just rumours. But that was the only 'information' Reala had about Jackle, if it was true or not. The fact was, NiGHTS had never spoke of him. Or rather, Reala had never given NiGHTS the chance to talk about him. Reala could remember many the occasion, when he had scolded NiGHTS for talking about his social life, reminding him that he "couldn't care less about whoever had the misfortune of being around him.". The only reason he knew details about Jackle's condition, was because NiGHTS had given him a long lecture on it one day and he couldn't get rid of him. Reala couldn't understand why NiGHTS had left. He had had everything. Then he decided to run away from it all. In Reala's opinion, NiGHTS was dead. Or, at least, the NiGHTS he remembered was dead. He had been replaced by the violent, rebel who had destroyed everything he had once been a part of. Thinking about it made Reala feel physically sick, so he thought of what he should do next. Now that he had found a helper, it would be relatively easy to find the nightmaren. After all, they both remembered them so well, they would be able to recognise them in an instant. On his own, it would have taken Reala at least two or three days to find them. Together, they could probably find them in one. Reala planned to find them this evening at the earliest. He wanted to be reunited with them as soon as possible. As soon as they left the castle they could get to work. They **would** be leaving the castle very soon, Reala realised. He could see the door leading into the rest of the castle up ahead. When they were stood in front of it, Reala broke the silence.

"Hold this for me." He said, holding out the lantern, not waiting for a response. Jackle took it, wordlessly. Reala set about opening the door. Not just anyone could come down here. In fact, to be specific, only first-levels could open the door. All they had to do was link their ideya shard with the small, purple crystal which had been drilled into the door. The crystal let of a pale, blue glow as Reala approached. The ideya shards on his chest glowed as well, as Reala stood, waiting.

_

Jackle stared at the floor, lantern in hand, deep in thought. It hadn't really sunk in when Reala had first told him, but now it did. The initial shock of what had happened had faded, replaced by confusion. His master was dead. Before NiGHTS betrayal (which, from Jackle perspective, could have been only an hour ago) Wizeman and NiGHTS had been the two people Jackle had cared for the most. Now, Wizeman was dead, killed by NiGHTS. Jackle wasn't sure what to feel. One part of him felt furious with NiGHTS for killing Wizeman and wanted revenge. Another, was sad about Wizeman's death but didn't want to harm his old friend. All of it was beginning to give him a headache. There was a loud click. Jackle looked up to see that Reala had opened the door. Reala took the lantern back and turned a small dial on the side, extinguishing the flame. They both walked out into a narrow corridor. It had windows on the right side showing the familiar, black void that surrounded the castle. Next to the door they had just come out from, there was a large, green backpack, laying on the floor. Reala bent down, opened it, placed the lantern inside, closed it, and slung it over his back. There was another, empty, backpack lying on the ground, next to where Reala's one had been before.

"Go fetch what you want to take, and put it in there." Reala instructed, pointing at the bag, "I know most people keep things they are fond of."

"'Most people'? That makes it sound as if you're not included, Sir." Jackle noted, picking up the empty bag.

"I have never had any personal belongings." Reala explained, as if it was obvious, "I do not see much point in them."

"What's in there then?" Jackle asked, pointing at the backpack Reala was wearing.

"Food, drink and other things we might need." Reala replied. Jackle frowned. He knew he shouldn't judge him so quickly, but, so far, Reala didn't seem like a particularly nice person to be around.

"Where are all my things?" Jackle asked, changing the subject.

"I think they are where you left them." Reala replied, "Nobody wanted to go down to your lair, for some reason."

"Well, that's helpful." Jackle remarked. Jackle led the way down to his lair, they didn't say Reala had said, Jackle's lair had been left practically untouched.

"Right, let's get cracking." Jackle muttered, clapping his hands together.

_

Reala watched from the doorway, as Jackle moved around the room, collecting various objects an placing them on a small pile he'd made on the floor. He'd put the bag next to the pile, so he could shove it all in quicker. Reala didn't understand why anyone would need any of the things that Jackle was taking. A yo-yo, a deck of cards, a broken stop watch, a rubber ball and a pair of binoculars were just some of the things he was bringing with him. Something was wrong, Reala knew that. Jackle was trying to act cheerful, but Reala could tell something was eating away at him. He kept on stopping exactly where he was, staring at something as if he couldn't really see it, then carrying on like nothing had happened. Reala didn't mention it though. He was a first-level, not a psychiatrist. He didn't have time to listen to some second-level whine about Wizeman-knows-what for an hour. He just wanted to find the other nightmaren. Then, he could throw this wretch in with the rest of them. He was letting him bring his own belongings, in Reala's eyes that was enough. He only needed Jackle, to help him. He had put on a show of kindness in The Dungeon, unsure of the second-level's personality. If he was one of the people that wanted to be friends with everyone, then Reala would have already befriended them. But, Reala had given up the act. To be honest, he really didn't care what Jackle thought of him anymore. He was loosing his patience with him.

"Is there any way you could hurry up?" Reala hissed, through gritted teeth.

"What's the rush?" Jackle asked, not looking at him.

"First of all," Reala began, angrily, "Let me remind you that I am a first-level and clearly your superior. You **will** treat me like it. Secondly, we need to find the nightmaren quickly, they need someone to organise them. Most of the other first-levels fell in battle, so they won't have any orders to follow. When I am there we can all begin to think up a strategy to rebuild." Jackle looked up. He had a scornful look in his eyes.

"Oh, right." He said, forcefully, "Sorry…**sir**." Then he got back to packing. Reala's anger grew.

"Jackle," Reala said, threateningly, "I would advise you to come over here and give me a **proper** apology."

_

Jackle pretended not to hear him. Reala's attitude was already getting to him. He knew he was a first-level, and he shouldn't be doing this, but, for some reason, he no longer cared. He didn't know what it was, but something just snapped. He could feel a burning, anger bubbling in his chest. His headache was beginning to worsen and his frustration was growing.

"Jackle," Reala began, his voice shaking, out of anger, "I have given you a warning. If you do not do as I say-"

"What?" Jackle suddenly shouted, spinning around to face him, "What are you going to do?" Reala looked stunned. It was obvious no one had ever treated him like this before. He quickly regained his resolve, however.

"You will be punished if you do not do as I say!" Reala retorted, voice raised.

"Please remind me, **sir**." Jackle said, sarcastically, taking a step towards him, "But how do first-levels usually punish others?"

"We-"

"Take them to Wizeman." Jackle finished for him, "Sorry to remind you, Sir. But Wizeman isn't here is he? So how are you going to punish me? What are you going to do?"

_

Reala couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was being shouted at. By a _second-level_ no less! He didn't understand what had happened that had made Jackle so angry. But he did understand one thing. This was unacceptable.

"Given the circumstances I have no problem coming over there and beating you!" He shouted, "Now, get on with it! If we hurry, we can find them today and I can be rid of you."

"Today?" Jackle repeated, quietly.

"Yes, today." Reala hissed, "Now get to work!"

"You've got to be kidding." Jackle scoffed. That was enough. Reala ran towards Jackle, so quickly, that he was within an arms-distance from him before Jackle could even blink. Jackle gasped and, before he could do anything, Reala's hand was clasped around his throat.

"What do you know? You **do** have something there to **strangle**!" Reala hissed, venomously, lifting Jackle a few inches above the ground, "Now, listen carefully. I am your superior. You will do as I say. You can forget about your things now. We are leaving without them. Do you understand?" Jackle didn't reply.

"Do-You-Un-Der-Stand?" Reala shouted, shaking him with each syllable.

"Yes." Jackle muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes." Reala paused for a moment, before throwing Jackle to the floor.

"Now, say sorry." Reala spat. Jackle got to his feet, bowed, and murmured,

"Sorry."

"Sorry, what?"

"Sorry, Sir." Jackle growled, glaring at Reala, hatefully.

"That's better." Reala said, his voice hoarse, "You can bring your things, I have changed my mind. Be thankful." Jackle didn't say anything or move from where he was standing. Now, that Reala studied him carefully, something was defiantly wrong. Although he was looking directly at him, Jackle's eyes seemed out of focus, he was swaying slightly, as thought he couldn't balance properly and his hands were twitching, randomly. Reala didn't care though. But, there was one thing he was confused about…

_

Jackle was in pain. His headache was making hard to think. His head was throbbing, painfully. He felt unnaturally hot and could feel sweat sliding down the back of his neck. He could hear his own breathing, unusually loud, muffeling all other noises. His temper was almost at the point of snapping again. And, adding to his frustration, he didn't actually know why he was frustrated. It was just after Reala told him to hurry up he had suddenly felt angry with him.

"Jackle," Reala began, his voice sounding strangely muffled and distant, "why are you angry with me?"

"_I'm trying to figure that out myself."_ Jackle thought.

"Jackle, tell me." Reala said, forcefully, his voice still muffled.

"_I don't know."_ Jackle thought, unconsciously grinding his teeth together, _"If you gave me a chance to think, I could tell you! Just let me think for two mo-"_

"JACKLE!" Reala shouted, "Answer me!" Jackle snapped.

"You could've figured it out yourself!" Jackle yelled, "Honestly? It hasn't occurred to you at all? By Wizeman, you're thick!" Reala's face contorted in fury,

"Listen to-"

"NO, YOU LISTEN!" Jackle yelled, cutting Reala off. He had become out of breath and his breathing was deafening in his ears, his head felt as if it were on fire, "YOU'RE NiGHTS' TWIN! YOU WERE UPSET WHEN HE LEFT, RIGHT?"

"Yes!" Reala cried, confused, "But, what has tha-"

"YOU'VE HAD TIME TO GET OVER IT!" Jackle screamed, "HAVE I? IT MAY HAVE BEEN FIVE YEARS FOR YOU, BUT TO ME IT'S MORE LIKE FIVE MINUTES! AND, AS IF THAT WEREN'T ENOUGH, YOU TELL ME THAT WIZEMAN IS DEAD! THAT THE REST OF THE NIGHTMAREN ARE MISSING, AND, AS I TRY TO TAKE THIS ALL IN, YOU START HAVING A GO AT ME?" Jackle didn't know where all of this was coming from, but as he said it, it became obvious why he was angry.

"Do you have any idea what that's like?" He rasped, his voice shaking, "Five minutes ago, my best, and only friend betrayed me. Five minutes ago, you tell me my master…my father…is dead. And you don't take it into consideration, I might want some time alone? That I'm going through a lot at the moment, and maybe you could at least treat me nicely?" Reala looked stunned, his mouth was hanging open, his eyes were wide. Jackle could feel tears running down his face, as he stood waiting for Reala to say something. He felt like something was about explode inside of him, his entire body was shaking. "_Whatever Reala says next," _Jackle thought, _"had better be an apology or-"_

"Jackle." Reala said, quietly, a shocked expression on his face, "I had no idea."

_

Reala didn't know what else to say. It had actually never occurred to him. He had felt devastated when he had learned of NiGHTS' betrayal and equally as horrified when Wizeman died, and Jackle had lived through both of these moments in a matter of minutes. Jackle stared at Reala in disbelief.

"Of course you didn't." He whispered. His eyes had become wide and staring. His face was now devoid of emotion. There was sweat dripping down his face, and the corners of his mouth were twitching. It was unnerving. Suddenly, Jackle's mouth turned into a huge grin. Something about it didn't seem…natural.

"Jackle…are you alright?" Reala asked, taking a step backwards.

_

Jackle felt strange. His headache had gone, all the anger and fury had vanished. He no longer felt hot or uncomfortable in any way. The sense of being about to explode was gone, Jackle couldn't help but think that it was because he already had. But, that thought was washed away and replaced with a blissful sense of calm. Suddenly, Wizeman's death, NiGHTS betrayal, none of it bothered him. Everything was just…good. So he was puzzled when Reala asked,

"Jackle…are you alright?" Reala took a step backwards, as though Jackle was threatening him. Jackle frowned,

"Why wouldn't I be?" Jackle asked, a large, child-like smile spreading across his face.

"But…you were just…" Reala muttered, staring at Jackle.

"I'm fine!" Jackle insisted, walking towards him, "I'm good! I'm great! Fantastic! _Tres bein._ _Sehr gut._ _Fantastish!_ _Ich bin gut!_ In short," Jackle said, gleefully, standing directly in front of Reala, "I'm fine!"

_

Reala stared at Jackle, who was smiling manically. This defiantly wasn't good. He knew that Jackle could sometimes completely lose it and it really would surprise him if this wasn't one of those times. NiGHTS said that these moments were pretty much always violent, he had often come to Reala, beaten different shades of black and blue after being with Jackle when he lost control. NiGHTS didn't put up a fight. Reala could, but Jackle had originally going to be a first-level, so would have the same fighting skill as one. Although Reala was more powerful than the other first-levels, as was NiGHTS, he couldn't risk getting seriously injured. What should he do? NiGHTS had said there was a way to calm him down, but Reala couldn't remember what it was. If only he'd paid attention when NiGHTS had told him about Jackle.

"Why are you so grumpy?" Jackle asked, in a innocent, yet somehow menacing, voice, "Come on! Where's the fun, eh?"

"Jackle, I think you should calm down." Reala said, slowly, backing away from him.

"I **am **calm!" Jackle insisted, still smiling, still giving Reala that unnerving stare, "**You're** just boring! Oh, I know! Let's play a game!"

"No! No games." Reala said, quickly, "How about we just…take a nap?"

"Nah!" Jackle said, "That's no fun! I know, let's play cards!" Before Reala could do anything, Jackle had scooped up his cards from the floor, and thrown one at his left shoulder. It sunk directly into it, a searing pain shot through Reala's arm. He cried out. Jackle laughed, a high-pitched and cruel laugh.

"Oh, whaddya know?" He cried, happily, "He sings! Come on Ree, sing me a song!" He ran forward, and swiped at him with a card. Reala jumped to the side, avoiding it, then he took off into the air. Jackle let loose with his cards, they shot past Reala, who managed to avoid them. Whilst he flew, he grabbed the card in his shoulder and pulled it out. Reala cried out in pain once more when he did, much to Jackle's amusement.

"That's it! Come on, Ree! Sing!" He yelled, throwing another two cards in Reala's direction. Reala dodged the first one, the second one skimmed the under side of his left leg. He winced.

"_What would NiGHTS do? What would NiGHTS do?"_ He asked himself, _"What does NiGHTS do when somebody is upset?" _Then it came to him. Reala stopped where he was, and floated around, to face Jackle.

"Are you going to sing me something?" Jackle asked, gleefully.

"No. I have got a better idea." Reala said, raising his hands. He hadn't done this in a while, but he might be able to pull it off.

"What's that?" Jackle asked, amused.

"How about I play you something instead?" Reala suggested. Without waiting for an answer, he began to play. It was the only tune he knew, the one NiGHTS had taught him. Jackle stared at Reala for a moment, then he relaxed. He lowered his cards, his deranged grin becoming a bemused smile. He yawned and muttered,

"I think I'll go…take a nap…" Reala smiled, but he didn't stop playing his flute. Jackle walked over to the mattress, which had been left untouched. "Nighty-night." He murmured, as he lay down and closed his eyes.

_AN: You would've thought that, after sleeping for five years, Jackle wouldn't be tired…oh well. That was a very 'angst-y' sort of chapter, hopefully they won't __**all**__ be like that. In case you're wondering (even though none of you probably care): _

"_Tres bein" is French for "Very good",_

"_Sehr gut" is German for "Very good",_

"_Fantastish" is German for "Fantastic",_

_And "Ich bin gut" is German for "I am good". Anyway R&R!_


	3. Two nightmaren, a dreamer and a desert

_AN: Third chapter…not much else to say really._

It was all strictly professional. That was what Reala kept reminding himself. After the events in the castle, Reala had decided to make a different approach. He would treat Jackle kindly and in return Jackle would be happy to do as he said. It was simple. Reala knew that people would work harder if working for someone who had been kind to them. It was a sort of repayment, as he understood. Reala knew he would only be pretending. He would never **like** the deranged, assortment of floating rags he had had the misfortune of finding. Only pretend. It was all strictly professional. A visitor's dream world stays, even when it's creator is absent. So, finding a place to stay, that wasn't the castle, was easy. Reala knew NiGHTS well, and didn't think that NiGHTS would hunt down the remaining nightmaren. But, he had also thought that NiGHTS' was loyal to Wizeman. Reala wasn't going to take any chances, if NiGHTS was trying to wipe out the nightmaren completely, the first place he would look would be the castle. So, to avoid that particular fate, Reala had moved to an uninhabited dream world. It was a large, dark forest. It's trees were massive, reaching up to the clouds themselves. Their branches and leaves created a 'roof' over the forest floor. There were gaps in the 'roof' which allowed the occasional beam of sunlight to travel through but, besides that, there was no natural light. The forest stretched on for a long way, the dreamer must be very imaginative to have made it this big.

Reala had brought his and Jackle's (now fully packed) bags. He had created a makeshift fire to warm himself with, it was cold in the forest. He sat on a log, next to the fire, waiting for Jackle to stir. Jackle was curled up in a ball, laying on his mattress (Reala didn't want to move Jackle, so he took the mattress with him). It was pathetic, in Reala's opinion. He wanted to get away from Jackle as soon as possible, but to do that, he would have to get close to him. It had been two hours since Jackle's outburst, it was now midday, for them at least. Reala knew very little about the visitors, but he knew a couple of things, one of them being: The visitors all lived in different time zones, one could be awake whilst another was asleep. Nightmaren didn't work that way.

"_How much longer is this going to take?"_ Reala thought, watching the sleeping Jackle, _"He can not be this tired."_ He sighed,

"_And, I can not wake him either. I do not want a repeat of what happened earlier. Another injury is not what I need right now." _He had bandaged his left shoulder, covering the wound he had received during his and Jackle's fight. He had also put a smaller bandage around the lower part of his left leg. Where one of Jackle's cards had skimmed him.

"_I hope he is in his right mind when he wakes up."_ Reala thought, _"He is not my kind of company, but at least he won't try to kill me…hopefully."_

_

Jackle had a horrible headache. He didn't know what had happened, but he could guess. He didn't want to move, he could hear the sound of birds all around him. So, he was definitely not in the castle. He could feel the familiar warmth of his mattress beneath him. It was comfortable, so comfortable he wanted to stay like that forever. That was, until a cold breeze swept over him. He shivered, then decided he should probably see where he was. He opened his eyes. He could see a leafy floor, the logs of a fire and Reala's feet. He sat up, and got a better look at his surroundings.

"How do you feel?" Reala asked, not moving from where he sat.

"Better." Jackle replied, then he noticed Reala's bandages. He felt a pang of guilt. There was no doubt that they were his doing. "What about you?" Reala frowned, then realised what he was talking about.

"I have had better days." Reala replied, quietly, "I never would have guessed that you were fighting material."

"About that." Jackle said, nervously, "I'm not sure what I did but…sorry." Reala simply shook his head.

"There is no need for you to apologise." Jackle didn't agree, but kept his mouth shut. "About what you said. I think you are right. You should rest before we do any work."

"Are you sure?" Jackle asked, confused.

"Yes." Jackle didn't believe him. Something about this just wasn't…right. This was the guy who had screamed at him for taking too long. This was the guy who was so eager to get back to the other nightmaren. His sudden change of attitude was strange, but Jackle went with it. He didn't want to anger him again. If he wanted him to relax, he would.

"Do you want any food?" Reala asked, reaching into his bag.

"Well…if it's not too much trouble…" Jackle muttered. Reala tossed him an apple and said,

"There is a lot more in there. If you want anything else let me know." Jackle frowned. He was acting strangely. There was silence for a while. Jackle finished the apple and threw it's remains over his shoulder. Then he said,

"So…what actually happened?"

"You had one of your," Reala frowned, struggling to find the right word, "'moments'. You attacked me." Jackle felt another pang of guilt. He didn't like Reala, but he still felt guilty about hurting him. He must've picked it up from NiGHTS.

"And?"

"And, I thought, since you were acting like a child, I might be able to calm you down with a piece of music."

"Music?" Jackle asked, curious.

"Yes." Reala replied, "I did not sing if that is what you are thinking." Jackle managed a weak smile.

"So, what** did **you do?"

"I played."

"Played what?"

"The flute." Jackle frowned.

"You play the flute?"

"Yes." Reala said, simply, his face remained passive, "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well…" Jackle began, awkwardly. "I just didn't think you were…that type of person."

"I am not." Reala agreed, looking into the fire. "But I was forced to learn."

"By who?" Reala gave Jackle a meaningful look. Jackle nodded his head in acknowledgement and fell silent. Neither of them spoke, Reala was still staring into the fire. Jackle looked as well, watching the wood burn. The only noise, was the crackle of the fire, the birds and other wildlife all around them.

"Why did he do it?" Jackle asked, not looking up. He didn't know why he said it, it just slipped out. There was a pause.

"I do not know." Reala replied, quietly. "He seemed so happy with the way things were…"

"I think he was." Jackle muttered. "Until he met that girl." He didn't know why he was saying this to Reala. After all, he barley knew him. He decided that he should change the subject.

"So!" He said, loudly, standing up. "You wanted to find them today, right?"

_

Reala was glad Jackle hadn't wanted a heart to heart talk. He didn't have time for that and he wanted to get back to the others as soon as possible. So, he was happy that Jackle had said they should get to work. They had been searching for hours. Instead of actually finding any of the nightmaren, they just came across particularly dark or gloomy dreams. They sat in silence around the, now dying, fire. Mentally looking for their comrades. It was at that moment, that Reala found something. It felt very familiar.

"I think I have found them." Reala muttered, eyes still closed.

"Really? Are you sure it's them?" Jackle asked, a surprised tone in his voice. Reala thought for a moment.

"Yes." Reala decided, opening his eyes. "I am not certain, but it is the only lead we have got so far." Jackle nodded, in agreement. Reala could tell Jackle still didn't trust him. Not that he cared. Jackle was obeying him, that's what he wanted. Reala stood, took the two bags in one hand and held out his arm. Jackle took it. A loud rushing noise filled his ears. Suddenly they stood in a large, hot desert. The sky was completely empty, save for the sun, which shone brightly. The desert itself, was empty so far as Reala could see. There was a slight breeze.

"Who'd dream of a place like this?" Jackle asked, examining the dreamscape.

"I have encountered many dreamers, some of them are just…strange." Reala answered. He threw Jackle his bag, then said.

"Do you have any idea where they might be?" Reala asked.

"Nope." Jackle replied, unhelpfully. Reala grinded his teeth together, silently insulting him.

"No ideas at all?" Reala asked, angrily. "Really?" Jackle didn't seem surprised that Reala was angry with him. He turned to face him.

"No." He said, calmly. "Is there a problem with that?" Reala was about to say that there definitely was, until he remembered what had happened the last time he had lost his temper with Jackle.

"No." Reala muttered, after a slight pause. Jackle looked at him for a moment, then a small, humourless smile spread across his face.

"You know what? You and NiGHTS are very alike. You both look away when you lie to me." Reala was surprised. He **was** lying, but how could Jackle figure that out?

"I am not lying." He said.

"You did it again." Jackle noted. "You looked away. Say you weren't lying, while looking at me." Reala turned, looked him in the eyes and opened his mouth. Just before he spoke, his eyes looked down at the ground.

"I am not lying." He repeated, despite knowing that he had given it away. Jackle gave him a cold stare. Reala looked away, not wanting to see his expression. For some reason, he didn't like the way Jackle was looking at him. Lots of people had glared at Reala like that, but for some reason, he couldn't stand Jackle doing it.

"We'd better get moving." Jackle said, looking back at the dreamscape. "The sooner we get away from each other, the better. We'll both be happier that way." Reala didn't reply.

_

Jackle examined the dream world. He turned around, to see what was behind him and saw something he didn't expect. In front of him, stood a dreamer, a boy to be specific. He had dark skin and short, rather untidy black hair. He was wearing a green t-shirt, brown shorts, and white trainers. He was crouching low, and looked surprised when Jackle saw him. Jackle instantly, dropped his bag, drew a card and thumped Reala on the back, to get his attention.

"What is it, now?" Reala asked, exasperated. He turned around and saw the boy. He looked shocked for a second, then angry.

"Sorry for eavesdropping!" The boy said, hurriedly, standing up. "Please don't be angry!" He had a strong accent, though Jackle didn't know what one. Now that he stood up, Jackle noticed how short the boy was. He could be no older than ten. Jackle was about to scare him off when the boy said.

"You're nightmaren aren't you?" Jackle was surprised and, judging by his gaping mouth, so was Reala.

"How did you know that?" Reala asked, shocked.

"Well, you look kinda scary, so I just guessed, really." The boy replied, a small smile playing on his lips.

"So, you've seen nightmaren before?" Jackle asked.

"Yeah. Of course I have." The boy replied. Reala raised a questioning 'eyebrow'.

"How many have you seen?" The boy smiled.

"I dunno exactly how much. But there's a lot of 'em."

"And where would these nightmaren be now?" He asked.

"I can take you to them if you like." The boy suggested. Reala and Jackle looked at each other. Jackle could tell that, just like him, Reala didn't have a clue what was going on. If the boy knew about nightmaren, he should be scared of them, not trying to help them. They looked back at the boy.

"Alright." Reala said. The boy smiled.

"Awesome! My name's Ethan, what's yours?" Jackle was confused, he had never really **spoken** to a dreamer before, save for the incident with NiGHTS. He didn't know what to say. Luckily Reala did.

"I am Reala." He said. "And this is Jackle." Ethan smiled slightly.

"Those are strange names." He muttered, before saying. "Shall we get going then?"

"Of course." Reala said. Ethan began to walk in the other direction, saying.

"Well come on then!" Reala followed him, as though he did this all the time. Jackle was frozen for a while, mouth hanging open.

"Jackle!" Reala called, "Are you coming?" Jackle looked up, to see they had already covered a large distance. He yelped, grabbed his bag and sprinted over to them. When he reached them, Reala was looking annoyed, while Ethan looked amused.

"Come on then." Ethan said, enthusiastically. They began to walk again, Ethan in front, Jackle and Reala behind. Jackle moved over to Reala and whispered,

"What are you doing?"

"He says he seen the other nightmaren." Reala replied, quietly. "He wants to help us find them. I do not think we could have got any luckier."

"But, can we trust him?" Jackle whispered. Reala gave him a look.

"He is a child." He muttered. "What can he do to hurt us?"

"I suppose you're right." Jackle murmured. "What do you think is going on?"

"Hopefully, the others can explain that." Reala whispered in reply. Then it was silent again, the only noise was the sound of the wind passing by. Then, Ethan broke the silence,

"We're nearly there now. Sorry about the heat."

"Why did you make your dream like this?" Reala asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Well, I wasn't born in America, y'see." Ethan began.

"_Oh!"_ Jackle realised. _"It's an American accent." _

"I was adopted." Ethan continued. "I don't remember my old home, I was only three when I was taken in. And, my parents never tell me what country I came from, but they said it was very hot and sandy. I just imagine it being like this." He paused.

"I don't know why my mom and dad won't tell me where I was born. But, parents are like that sometimes.

"What about you?" He asked. "Do you have any parents?"

"You could say that." Reala replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Ethan suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot! That…Mister Wizeguy created you. Didn't he?"

"Yeah." Jackle said, trying to keep the bewilderment out of his voice. Reala and Jackle looked at each other again. How did Ethan know that?

"He died though, right?" Ethan asked. Reala nodded. "Sorry."

"It's not as if it's your fault." Jackle said. There was silence again. Jackle was confused about the whole thing. No dreamer should know this much. But, as Reala had said, hopefully the others could explain what was going on. Hopefully.

_AN: It's a bit short, but I think that was a good place to end it. In any case, I'll try to update soon, but I've got things I need to do, so it might be a while. Anyway, R&R._


	4. The Guides

_AN: I did say "might be a while". Just remember that I included the word "might". Ok, so what I wrote in the AN of chapter might apply for the next chapter. Maybe._

After another five minutes of walking through the desert, they finally saw where the nightmaren were. In the distance, their was, what looked like, a large assortment of tents, all set up in town-like fashion. Reala could see the silhouettes of the nightmaren moving around inside the 'town'. Reala noted that it couldn't be all of the nightmaren, at a guess, it looked like at least half. But, Reala was just glad to see that their **were** some survivors. They came to a halt.

"There they are!" Ethan exclaimed, a huge smile on his face, pointing in the direction of the camp. Reala allowed himself a small smirk. Jackle looked more relived than anything.

"Yeah…thanks, Ethan." Jackle said. Ethan's smile widened.

"No problem." He said, happily. "Come on, let's go." He turned back around, and continued to lead them towards the camp. Reala was sweating now, the heat of the desert was getting to him. But that didn't matter. Soon, he would be back in his normal position of power. He had been Wizeman's right-hand man. Surely, that would make him their new leader. Reala hoped that they could explain how this boy knew so much. Otherwise, they could have a problem. Reala looked at Jackle. He seemed tired, but Reala could tell he was happy to be back. To be honest, Reala didn't understand why. Everyone was afraid of him. On top of that, he couldn't be relied on for important missions. Maybe Reala could have him executed, that way, he wouldn't distract the other nightmaren and more importantly, Reala wouldn't have to look at him anymore. They were just outside the camp now. Their were two nightmaren waiting for them, presumably guards.

"Hi." Ethan said, cheerfully, as he approached. "I found these two." He gestured at Reala and Jackle. "Do you think you can take them in?" The nightmaren closest to Ethan nodded, then gestured for Reala and Jackle to come over. They did, Reala moving ahead of Jackle.

"Do you mind telling me what is going on here?" Reala asked, when he stood in front of them.

"Of course." One of the nightmaren said, reassuringly. "Just remember, that **this** was necessary."

_

Jackle was looking at Reala the entire time, so didn't notice when the second nightmaren picked up a large plank of wood. He also didn't notice said nightmaren, moving around, so he was behind Reala. He did notice, however, when the nightmaren swung the plank into the back of Reala's head. Reala didn't react for a moment. He just stood where he was, a rather confused expression on his face. Then, he dropped his bag, and fell forwards, landing on the ground with a muffled 'thud'. Jackle stared, shocked at what had just happened. This certainly wasn't the greeting he'd been hoping for. Ethan looked guilty.

"Sorry." He muttered. "I hate this bit, but we have to do it." The nightmaren advanced on Jackle, the plank raised above his head.

"Hang on!" Jackle cried. "You don't have to do that! Just listen to-" Before he could finish, the plank had collided with his face and everything had faded to black.

Jackle opened his eyes. He was inside one of the tents. The whole of the inside was a light purple, the opening must've been behind him, because he could feel a breeze blowing on his back. To his right, there was a wooden table, which, for whatever reason, had a pile of, crudely made, weapons (mostly daggers and swords) on top. He was sitting on a wooden chair, his arms had been tied behind his back and legs had been tied together (Jackle couldn't help but note that it must've been difficult tying down something you can't see).

"Hello?" He called. "Anyone out there?" He heard some talking outside. From what he could gather, they were arguing as to who should go in there with him. It was a minute later that Jackle saw who they'd sent. It was Puffy. She floated into the tent, and stopped when she was in front of him. Jackle was surprised, but he didn't show it.

"Bout time!" Jackle exclaimed. "What's going on? Why did you knock me out?"

"It's alright." Puffy said, slowly, as though speaking to a child. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Oh! That explains why you hit me in the face!" Jackle said, sarcastically. Puffy wasn't acting like she normally did. Instead of making an angry retort, she remained calm and civilised.

"Sorry. But we can't risk bringing the wrong people into the camp." She explained.

"And these 'wrong people' are?" Jackle asked, expectantly.

"People who would disrupt the operation if they knew what we were doing." She replied. "That's why you're tied down. Sorry." She sounded like she meant it.

"So, you think I'd go on a violent rampage if I knew what was going on." Jackle said, sceptically.

"We do this to all our new applicants, it's just a precaution." She assured him. Jackle couldn't help noticing how much she had changed. She had a sense of authority about her, which she defiantly hadn't had five years ago.

"And what exactly am I applying for?" Jackle asked. Puffy ignored his question.

"I know we have a certain…history, Jackle." She began. "But I need you to trust me." Jackle sighed.

"Can we just get on with it?" He pleaded.

"Alright. Once you know what's going on, please don't get angry." She said. "Try and see it from our point of view."

"Ok." Puffy drew a deep breath.

"You heard of our creators downfall, I take it?" She asked.

"Yes." Jackle replied, impatiently. He wasn't going to sit here answering her questions all day.

"Well, after Wizeman's death, all of us fled. We were afraid." She explained. "There was a long debate about what we should do next-"

"Hang on." Jackle interrupted. "How long ago did Wizeman die?" Puffy frowned.

"Two weeks." Jackle whistled.

"Reala must've been unconscious for a long time." He remarked. "Or he just searched for a long time. Either way-"

"Is this relevant?" Puffy snapped.

"_Good to know that some of your old self hasn't gone completely."_ Jackle thought, before shaking his head.

"Anyway," Puffy continued, her civilised manner returning. "after the debate, we decided what we should do. We decided to abandon our old lifestyle." Puffy explained. "To start anew. At first, we thought Wizeman's death was a tragedy. Now we know that it was a blessing. We are free of his control, we can do as we please."

"_I don't like where this is going." _Jackle thought.

"Our old behaviour was disgraceful." Puffy said. "We decided to redeem ourselves. We are no longer nightmaren. That name is as evil as our old deeds, we are now 'the guides'." Jackle scoffed.

"How imaginative." He said, sarcastically. Puffy paid no attention to him.

"Because we are now the dreamers helpers, their **guides**." Puffy said, her voice rising. "We are redeeming ourselves, Jackle. We can help the dreamers instead of banishing them. Don't you understand? They are wonderful creatures, we can learn from them. We have already discovered their potential because of Ethan."

"So that's how he knows so much!" Jackle realised. "You told him everything!"

"Of course." Puffy said. "He lets us, out of his good will, stay in his dream world. The least we could do is tell him who we were. And we have learnt so much from him. We are now better than our old selves. We are now greater than any other…_nightmaren_," She spat out the name with contempt. "Could ever hope to be. We will create a better future. The Guides will be seen as heroes by the futures generations! The Guides are, in every sense, better than the nightmaren!" She exclaimed. There was a pause.

"Well, whoopee for The Guides." Jackle said.

"So, Jackle. Will you join us? Will you help to create a better future?" Puffy asked, eagerly. Jackle was about to refuse, when he thought of something. If he did join them, if he abandoned rules of the nightmaren, he might be able to be friends with NiGHTS again. Because then, they would be on the same side. Things could go back to the way they were. As Jackle thought, Puffy watched him, anxiously. Jackle tried to avoid the question, as though somebody else would answer it for him.

"For somebody trying to help people, you look a lot like somebody going to war." He noted, nodding at the table to his right.

"It's just a precaution." Puffy said, impatiently. "But, will you? Will you help us?" Before Jackle could think of an answer, he heard somebody walk into the tent behind him.

"Sorry to interrupt." The person said. "But we have a problem." Puffy's eye's widened.

"You don't mean-"

"I'm afraid so." The person said, regretfully. Puffy flew out of the tent with The Guide. Jackle could hear her yelling,

"Ok. They're back! You know the drill, get to it!"

_

While this was all happening, in a similar, green tent, Reala was struggling with his bonds.

"You wretches! Just wait until I get my hands on you!" He hissed, pulling against the ropes that held him to the chair. A young-looking Guide member stood in front of him, smiling.

"I **am** waiting." He laughed. Reala growled, angrily. As if he would join these maniacs. How could they even **think** of consorting with dreamers. Reala only did it to find the nightmaren, but they wanted to help them? It was absurd. The Guide member's laughing was interrupted, when a female voice shouted.

"Ok. They're back! You know the drill, get to it!" The member cursed and ran out of the room. Reala doubled his efforts, desperately trying to loosen the rope. All he succeeded in doing was tiring himself out. Outside, he could hear people shouting and running about. He could use this as a distraction while he escaped…**if** he escaped. As he was trying to undo his bonds, he suddenly thought of Jackle. Had he been knocked out too? Reala dismissed the thought, Jackle could do what he wanted, he wasn't Reala's responsibility. Reala felt a strange tugging feeling in his stomach as he thought this, he ignored that as well.

_

Jackle looked around the tent, trying to find something to cut the rope with. He looked behind him, and noticed a small wooden stool. On top of the stool, was his pack of cards. He grinned. Luck was on his side. He tried to push himself backwards with his legs, but he couldn't move himself. So, he decided to try something else. He pushed his body upwards which, in turn, lifted the chair, ever so slightly, off the ground. He had moved backwards, it wasn't very far, but that didn't matter. He'd figured out how to escape.

_

Reala was having no such luck. He was still desperately trying to slip out of his constrictions. He gave one, hard pull with his left leg. All that succeeded in doing was tipping the chair over sideways. He cursed. Now he was stuck. The shouting and moving about had stopped suddenly. There was an eerie silence. Then the silence was suddenly broken, when somebody screamed in pain. This was followed by the sound of people shouting orders and the sound of running feet. The air was filled with more screaming and the sound of clashing metal. Reala didn't know what was going on, but it definitely wasn't good.

_

Jackle had made it to the stool. He ignored the loud noises coming from outside and fumbled for his cards. He felt them and picked one off the top of the pile. He slid it up and down against the bonds on his hands, it took a while, but eventually they came loose. He bent over and cut through the ones on his legs. He was free. He stood up, snatched the rest of the cards off the stool, and went outside.

It was pandemonium. The Guides were all holding copies of the crudely-made weapons Jackle had seen before. They were using them to defend themselves against…other nightmaren. The only way to tell the two groups apart, was that, the attacking group all had a picture of Wizeman's hand printed on their chest. They too, were brandishing swords and daggers, and using them to cut down The Guides. Although the battle had only begun a minute or so ago, their were already bodies littered here and there on the desert floor. Jackle could see some of the nightmaren using their dream-altering abilities to defend themselves. The sounds of screaming and colliding metal was all Jackle could hear. Jackle had thought that at least half of the nightmaren lived in the camp. He assumed that the aggressors were the other half. He didn't know the way out. He couldn't see a clear path through the mass of tents and battling nightmaren. Then he remembered something, Reala was knocked out too. What if he hadn't escaped? He'd be in serious trouble. Jackle didn't like him and he was pretty sure he didn't like him either, but the urge to help him couldn't be rid of. Cursing, he ran blindly into the mass of nightmaren. He didn't have a clue where he was going. Just then one of the aggressors blocked Jackle's path, sword in hand.

"I'm not with them!" Jackle yelled over the noise. "I'm on your side…I think." The nightmaren wasn't listening. He dived towards him, meaning to stab him.

"Sorry about this." Jackle muttered. He created a large, solid wall of sand between him and his attacker. The nightmaren collided with it and fell backwards. He was soon trying to get back up, so Jackle ran in the opposite direction.

"Reala!" He yelled, hoping, somehow, he would hear him. "Reala, where are you?"

_

Reala was laying on his side, cursing his bad luck, when he heard a voice screaming his name.

"I am in here!" Reala felt stupid for responding, but he also felt stupid lying on his side. He heard someone come into the tent. Then he felt them undoing his bonds. Soon, his arms and legs were free. He stood up and saw it was Jackle who had helped him. He looked out of breath, he held his cards in his hand. Reala felt the tugging feeling fade away when he saw him.

"You alright?" Jackle asked, breathlessly.

"Yes." Reala replied, confused.

"Let's get out of here then." Jackle grabbed Reala's arm and pushed him outside. Reala's eyes widened.

"What's going on?" He yelled.

"No idea." Jackle replied. "But these guys seem to be Wizeman's supporters."

"So?"

"So, you're a well-known nightmaren." Jackle shouted. "Tell them to get us to safety." Reala was about to say that he didn't think the nightmaren would stop to chat, when he heard a loud horn echo through the desert. All of The Guides warped away, leaving only the nightmaren left. Jackle noticed two of them advancing on Ethan. One of them picked him up by the collar and snarled, threateningly. Ethan whimpered, as a green mist issued from his mouth. Ethan vanished in a puff of smoke. The mist solidified, becoming a sphere. The nightmaren took it, laughing. Then they headed towards the large group of nightmaren, which was coming together in the middle of the camp. Another one of the nightmaren approached Jackle, brandishing a spear at him. Then he noticed Reala. He stopped where he was, and lowered the spear.

"Sorry, Sir." He said. "I didn't recognise you." Reala felt pleased. Finally, some respect.

"Just do not do it again." He advised.

"I should probably take you with us." The nightmaren muttered, then he gestured at Jackle. "Is this a friend of yours, Sir?"

"Friend is not the word I would use. But he is with me, yes." Reala replied, reluctantly. He supposed he owed Jackle a favour.

"Alright. Come with me you two." The nightmaren instructed, leading the way back to the group.

_AN: The Guides is a rubbish name, I know. But it's all I could come up with, Jackle made fun of it so I guess that makes up for it. Anyway, I had fun writing this chapter. I suppose you thought Ethan was going to become a major part in the story. I'm not really a fan-character-making sort of person (I only brought him in because I needed to give The Guides a place to stay), so I got rid of him as soon as I could. Anyway, R&R._


	5. Nightmare Version 2

_AN: Sorry about taking so long to update. I had a accident, involving seven stitches, three internal stitches and stupid doctors who do the stitching without anaesthetic (yes, it __**did**__ hurt), and I kinda just forgot about this. Also, I usually update fairly quickly (compared to other people) so this isn't normal. It's all resolved now though. I've noticed that, for some reason, the lines I put in to show it's changing perspective, aren't shown on the website. I have no idea why, or if it's just my laptop being stupid, but from now on I'll just put "character's name" 's POV in italics. Kay? Good. Read on._

**_Jackle's POV:_**

"_Well…at least things can't get any worse."_ Jackle thought, _"Sure, I'm five years in the future. Master Wizeman is dead. But this is as bad as things can get. I'm so tired…when was the last time I slept? Well, excluding when Reala put me to sleep and that five-year nap I had, I haven't. I wish I could. I wish I could just close my eyes and-"_ Jackle's train of thought derailed when Reala's smacked him in the back of the head. Jackle thought they could leave each other's company at long last. Reala could go back to being all-powerful, and Jackle could go back to…being Jackle. But, Jackle knew that wasn't going to happen just yet, back in the desert. The nightmaren had warped away to who-knows-where, while Jackle and Reala were warped, separately, into this room. It was small, square and dark. The walls, roof and floor were made out of grey stone. They must've been in a building of some sort, because Jackle could hear people moving around above them. The room was cold and had a feeling of age about it. There were two doors, both on opposite side of the room. Near the centre, there was a wooden table, along with a few chairs. On the table, stood their only source of light, a gas lamp. Jackle was sitting at the table, while Reala stood behind him. Reala had had his bandages removed when they had arrived. One of the nightmaren had put a strange, foul smelling liquid on his wounds and they had healed up in a matter of minutes. So far, neither of them had been out of this room. The nightmaren who had brought them there had told them to wait and left. So there they were, waiting. Jackle turned around, rubbing the place where Reala had hit him,

"What did I do this time?" He asked, indignantly.

"You were about to fall asleep." Reala explained matter-of-factly.

"Oh no!" Jackle said sarcastically, "I'm so sorry, Sir. Please forgive me!" Reala's eyes narrowed.

"You should know better than to speak to your superiors like that." He hissed, warningly, "You never know what kind of…_trouble_, you might get yourself into."

"Do you remember the last time we had this discussion?" Jackle asked, "You didn't come out of it so well did you?" Reala raised a questioning 'eyebrow'.

"You make it sound as if it was your doing." He muttered.

"Well, technically it was." Jackle pointed out.

"Technically you were completely out of your mind when it happened." Reala contradicted, smirking.

"That's what you think." Jackle said, trying to unnerve him.

"Do not pretend you have any control over it." Reala said, smugly, "Face it. You are completely deranged." Jackle felt anger flare up in his stomach.

"Coming from you, that must mean a lot." He muttered, angrily. Reala's smile widened.

"A pitiful attempt at insult." He remarked, "Honestly, I expected better."

"Shut up." Jackle muttered.

"As I said, pitiful. You are not even trying are you?" Jackle didn't reply. He just looked down at the table, fuming.

"Do you know what one of the few things I like about you is?" Reala asked, taking a few steps forward, "You are so unbelievably stupid."

"_Just ignore him."_ Jackle thought, as he grinded his teeth together.

"You have absolutely no self control." Reala continued, "You have no actual skills whatsoever. And you were going to be a first-level?" Reala scoffed, "It is a wonder how you even got into the second."

"If you don't shut up," Jackle began, threateningly, turning around to face Reala, "I swear I'll shove that gas lamp up your-" Before he could finish, the door in front of them opened. A nightmaren entered. It was, to put it in the simplest way possible, a cloud of black smoke. The smoke's 'body' was humanoid and, somehow, solid looking. The smoke was moving about constantly, but still keeping the same shape. There were two white, glowing circle shapes on the 'head', supposedly eyes. It had three, very long, claw-like 'fingers' on each 'hand'. It's 'head' was rather thin and tall. As it walked towards them, he left black prints on the floor, which quickly evaporated as Jackle watched. It was very tall, it had had to bend over to make it's way through the door. It had a long, thin 'neck', which supported a large, circular 'head'. It stopped in front of the table, it's 'eyes' narrowed as it studied the two of them.

"_Well that's something you don't see every day." _Jackle thought. The nightmaren bent over and placed it's 'hands' on the table. Jackle noted this nightmaren was the only one he'd seen without the Wizeman embroidery. Despite the fact it could touch things, Jackle had a suspicion any item of clothing would just fall through the nightmaren. Jackle came up with a nickname for it in his head, "smoky". It wasn't his best one, but it would do.

"Well, this is interesting." Smoky muttered. It had a large, glowing, white patch (similar to it's eyes) which acted as a mouth, it disappeared when it wasn't speaking. It's voice was deep, and had series of echoes repeating it's words after it spoke. It's voice sounded male.

"I, of course, already know who you are." Smoky continued, gesturing at Reala, "But I have never seen you before. A friend of yours?" Reala cringed.

"Not as such, no." He explained, "More of a…temporary partner."

"I see." Smoky looked over at Jackle. "And who would you be, then?"

"Jackle." Jackle replied in, what he hoped, was a friendly way.

"Jackle?" Smoky repeated.

"Yeah." Jackle said, a bit confused.

"Jackle the Mantle?" Smoky asked.

"…kinda." Jackle answered, still confused. Smoky suddenly seemed uneasy. He stood upright and addressed Reala.

"I thought he was locked up in The Dungeon."

"I let him out." Reala explained, "It was necessary."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Smoky asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Reala asked, incredulously. "As if that idiot could do any harm." Smoky's eye's widened.

"But…haven't you heard the stories?" Smoky sounded fearful. Jackle knew why.

"Those little fairytales still going around these days?" He asked, amused, "Nice to know I havn't been forgotten." Reala groaned.

"Please tell me you do not believe those ridiculous tales."

"Well…you never know." Smoky muttered nervously, eyeing Jackle with suspicion. Jackle couldn't help but smile.

"Which ones are still being told then, hmm?" He asked, leaning forward in his chair. "The one where people become my slaves? Or the one where I eat people, that's my favourite." Smoky was becoming increasingly nervous.

"Pull yourself together." Reala snapped.

"Sorry, Sir." Smoky apologised, looking a bit ashamed (or as ashamed as a cloud of smoke can look). He walked back towards the table, but keeping his distance from Jackle.

"Would you please explain where we are." Reala requested.

"Right. You're in nightmare castle. Or at least the new one." Smoky answered.

"New one?" Reala asked, curiously.

"We couldn't stay in the original. The Guides would finish us off easily. It'd be too obvious." Smoky explained, "So, with the help of Angelina, we found another to stay in."

"Angelina?" Jackle interrupted, "That's a dreamer's name isn't it?" Smoky instantly became nervous again.

"Y-yes. She is the creator of this castle. We owe her a lot."

"Consorting with dreamers?" Reala asked, "I thought you would be above such things."

"Well, it was our only option." Smoky said, defensively. It seemed like a fair enough excuse to Jackle, but Reala was obviously angry.

"So, you are all now in debt to a _dreamer_?" He asked, incredulously. When Smoky said yes, Reala sighed and put his head in his hands.

"But, it's not that bad. Really!" Smoky reassured him, "We're not in debt as such. She helped us out her own good will. She asked for nothing in return, except for a position of power." The way Smoky said it made it sound as if it was no big deal. Reala didn't share this view.

"What?" He exclaimed, Smoky recoiled as Reala took a step towards him. He must've been glad there was something in between the two of them.

"Please, calm down." Smoky pleaded, "Take a seat. We can talk this over." Reala was overreacting in Jackle's opinion. Sure, having a dreamer in a powerful position seemed a bit farfetched. But if it was to ensure their survival, then it seemed like a reasonable thing to do. Besides, Smoky had said "a position of power" not "the complete ruler of us all" or something like that. This Angelina person was probably still under the command of the nightmaren leader. Jackle assumed that's who this group were. The only reason The Guides had re-named themselves was because they didn't consider themselves nightmaren anymore. This group seemed exactly the same as the nightmaren Jackle remembered, excluding the Wizeman coat of arms.

"I will do no such thing." Reala hissed, "You **will **explain yourself!"

"No, really. I think you should sit." Smoky insisted, taking a step backwards. "We have to talk about something, alone." Jackle stood.

"Well I can see when I'm not wanted. Is there some place I can stay?" Smoky looked even more nervous when Jackle spoke.

"Y-yes. The g-guards outside will show you where to go. You're now one of us."

"Alright." Jackle said, as he made his way to the door behind him. "Oh, could I not wear one of those…Wizeman…picture thingys?" Smoky nodded feverishly. It was obvious he just wanted him to leave as soon as possible.

"_If the word of who I am spreads,"_ Jackle thought, _"I won't be making any new friends."_

**_Reala's POV:_**

Reala heard the door close behind him. He decided he might as well cooperate, so he sat down. The smoke-nightmaren looked slightly more relaxed now.

"So, what is it you want to discuss?" He asked.

"Well, you're a nightmaren of high standing." The nightmaren explained slowly, as though speaking to somebody idiotic.

"_If he is going to treat anyone like that,"_ Reala thought_ "it should be Jackle."_

"…and Sire thought that you would make a good right-hand-man."

"Your point?" Reala asked, impatiently, not bothering to ask who 'Sire' was.

"Well, you'd be in the same position you were before." The nightmaren said, enthusiastically, "Except with more power." Reala became interested. More power? That was something he would enjoy having.

"What do you mean by that?" Reala asked, curiously.

"Well Sire needs someone to help him with his strategy, to give him advice." The nightmaren explained. "In a way, the decisions you make would effect the entire force. You'd be the second most powerful person in the castle. So, are you interested?" Reala was being offered a extremely powerful position, with no catches what so ever, how could he say no?

"Of course." Reala answered, "So, tell me, what else would this position involve?"

_**Jackle's POV:**_

Jackle had been taken through many plain, white, marble corridors until he reached his new quarters. All of the corridors were empty, apparently all the nightmaren had gone to their own quarters to sleep. The guards said that all the quarters were below the actual castle, so Jackle would have to wait until tomorow to see the castle properly. Not that he minded, he was tired. It would do him good to get some sleep. There were plain, wooden doors in all of the corridors. The guards had left Jackle at one which had the number '574' scratched into it. The nightmaren had found Jackle's bag in The Guides' camp and returned it to him. Jackle assumed they'd done the same for Reala. Jackle took hold of the door's golden handle, and entered his new quarters. The walls were made out of the same marble that the corridors were outside. It was rather small, there was a bed with a metal frame on the right side of the room. There was a large wooden table on the other, with a candle sitting on top. There was a wooden chair sitting next to it. Besides that, the room was empty. Jackle closed the door, locked it with the key he'd been given and placed his bag and the key on top of the table. He'd unpack tomorow. Not that there was much to unpack. Jackle had left most of his possessions behind, because they were to big to fit in the bag. It was a shame really, he had been quite fond of them.

Jackle was tired. He hadn't noticed it before, so much had been going on to distract him, but now it hit home. But that wasn't all he realised. He'd also been distracted from something which had been on his mind since he had woken up. NiGHTS. Had NiGHTS really done all this? Well, he had been created to be better than all the other nightmaren after all, but could he have really killed Wizeman and divided the entire nightmaren force? Everyone said he had...did that make this Jackle's fault? After all, it was Jackle's job to make sure something like this didn't happen. To make sure NiGHTS stayed loyal. Life from now on would be different. Jackle guessed that the word of who he was would spread. He had made light of the fact that the rumours still lingered. But it was unlikley that Jackle would be welcomed with open arms. Jackle remembered how his life had been before he had met NiGHTS and groaned. Unless he found somebody as kind as NiGHTS had been, it would be back to the constant jugments. Back to be hated or feared by everyone else. As Jackle made his way towards the bed, he tried to think positive, but he slipping into a rather dull mood. He sat down on the bed.

_"C'mon, things might not be so bad."_ He thought, _"I'm not dead or still locked up in The Dungeon, I'm not hurt, Reala's gone. I have a lot to be happy about."_ Jackle sighed and lay down on the bed, pulling the sheet over himself. He closed his eyes, trying not to think about it and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.

_AN: Yay! It's finally done! Anyway, I'm probably going to add the new "changing perspective" thing to the older chapters. So, there isn't much else to say really...R&R!_


	6. Angelina

_AN: Ok, it must've been laptop messing up, because I can see the lines, but sometimes I can't. So I'm sticking with the new way of doing things. _

_**Reala's POV:**_

Reala wasn't sure what to make of it. He had been sleeping in his quarters (which were no different than any of the others, to Reala's disappointment) when somebody had knocked on the door. A nightmaren had given Reala bundle of clothes, and left without a word. Reala could only assume that he was meant to wear it. He guessed it was some kind of uniform, which was new to him, because the only uniform the nightmaren had had before was the ideya shard. Which isn't a uniform in the first place. Reala had spent a while undressing and re-dressing. Now that he was finished, he could see what he looked like. He walked over to his bag, which lay under his bed, rifled through it until he found a jug of water. He took off the lid, and looked at his reflection.

It was definitely different to what he was used to. It still had the same red and black colour scheme, some things were the same as his old outfit. There were some differences though. It was more armour-like than his previous getup. His gloves felt heavier, the circular pads were longer, rectangular and covered his forearm. His chest was completely covered now, the ideya shards had been removed. He now wore a golden belt which had pads, the same as the ones on his gloves, attached to it, protecting the upper part of his legs. He wore some sort of collar around his neck, which had feather protruding from it. He wore a golden mask, which also had purple feathers protruding from it's sides. It had a small gem imbedded into it, Reala recognised it as a ideya shard (when left for a long time, ideya would solidify into any shape, not just a diamond). He wore a golden necklace, which also had a ideya shard inside it. Reala studied his new uniform for a moment. Then put the jug back. He supposed he should get a look around the castle. Heck, maybe he could make one of the guards to give him a tour. If he refused, Reala could just threaten to have him executed. Reala smiled to himself as he left his quarters.

_**Jackle's POV:**_

Jackle was woken by the sound of footsteps and talking outside. Groaning, he sat up and stretched. He felt better than he had the night before. Although he was rather hungry. His stomach rumbled as he stretched. As he was getting out of bed, something odd happened. As soon as he stood up, he saw something. It was only for a split-second, but he saw it. A face. He only had time to take in the large, blue eyes, before it vanished. Jackle jumped backward, shocked. He frantically searched the room, to find out where it went. After a few moments of panic, he calmed down. Nothing happened. It must've been his mind playing tricks on him. Jackle chuckled, nervously. It wasn't anything to worry about. Just his imagination. He made his way to the door. Even though he knew it was foolish, he couldn't help but look over his shoulder as he left. Just in case…

_**Reala's POV:**_

Reala came out into the corridor and was met by the same smoke-nightmaren he had talked with the other night.

"Like the new uniform?" He asked.

"It will take some getting used to." Reala replied.

"Right." The nightmaren muttered. It was obvious he didn't really care about his answer. "Listen, you're going to have to come with me." Reala frowned. He'd been told that he was now the second most powerful person in this place, and this nightmaren was telling him what to do?

"Is that right?" Reala asked, annoyed. The nightmaren backed away slightly.

"Hey, I'm not the one ordering you around." He said, quickly, "And it's more like a request anyway."

"Who requested my presence then?" Reala asked.

"A person who is in the same position as you." He explained, hurriedly "Listen, do you mind if I give you directions? I'm just really hungry and…" He trailed off when he saw Reala's face.

"Will **I** be able to eat at some point?" Reala asked, angrily.

"Of course!" The nightmaren said, quickly, "I'll tell them to save you some food. Just tell the guards you're looking for Angelina. They'll show you where to go." He was about to walk away, before he stopped and added, "I hope you realise I didn't mean any disrespect when I-"

"Go!" Reala snapped. The nightmaren jumped actually jumped off the floor, then ran down the corridor, receiving confused looks from passers-by. Reala sighed. The castle tour would have to wait.

_**Jackle's POV:**_

Jackle walked through the corridors, until he came to a staircase. He heard somebody cry out in surprise behind him, he spun around and had to dodge the nightmaren he'd named 'Smoky' as he ran past. He was obviously in a hurry. Jackle watched as Smoky ran through the crowd then made his way up the staircase and out into another corridor. This corridor was also made of white marble, but had red carpet running across the floor. There were various decorations on the walls such as the Wizeman coat of arms and strange golden masks with feathers sprouting from the top or the sides. The corridor was rather packed, so Jackle had to push and shove to make his way through. To his dismay, he could he nightmaren muttering amongst themselves. He couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but he could make out different parts of their conversations,

"…said he could read people's minds…"

"…I thought it was all complete rubbish. Until he came up to me one night…"

"…better keep your distance…" Jackle's dismay was soon replaced by anger.

"_Fine! Let them talk about me, I don't care." _He thought angrily. He began to push more violently, more to vent his anger than anything else. They backed away as they saw Jackle approaching, except for one. There was a small, spider-like creature standing in front of Jackle, looking up at him, confused. It was obviously a third-level. Jackle glared at it for a second, then slammed his foot down next to it. It squealed and ran away. Jackle took as much pleasure as he could from it, then continued on his way.

"_You should've killed it."_ Somebody said, disapprovingly, _"One little third-level, who'd care? You could've crushed it under your heel."_ Jackle spun around. Nobody was looking at him. Or rather, everyone was eyeing him curiously or fearfully, but nobody looked as if they had spoken anything above a whisper. And they were talking **about** him not **to** him. Strange. Jackle frowned, then shrugged and continued down the corridor.

_**Reala's POV:**_

The guards had led Reala to a large wooden door, which had a golden plaque with the number 1 on it. They had gone up several floors to get here. The crowds they had gone through had moved aside when they saw Reala. He assumed the mask he now wore showed his rank. The guards had left him at the door, so now Reala was the only one up here. Reala raised a hand and knocked on the door. There was silence, then the door opened. There was nobody there. Surprised, Reala looked around the inside of the room before noticing her. It was a dreamer, supposedly the one who had created the castle. She was short (which was why Reala hadn't seen her at first), she only came up to Reala's waist, she looked younger than most dreamers Reala had encountered. She was wearing a pale pink dress, which looked worn down and old and had red stains on it. She had long, black hair which came down to her shoulders. She had large, green eyes which were staring at Reala, curiously. She had rather pale skin, and wore a bracelet around her wrist. She seemed innocent, but for some reason that unnerved Reala a little. So, **this** was Angelina.

"Come in." She said, before taking a step back, to let Reala past. Her voice was quiet, it was barley louder than a whisper and seemed strangely emotionless. Seeing as this **was **the creator of the castle, Reala would probably have to do what she said. He guessed he owed her for letting him stay there. Reala made his way into the room. It was the same as Reala's (and in turn everyone else's) quarters, except it was full of things. The bed sheets were blue, and looked more comfortable than the ones the nightmaren were given. The room had huge piles of children's things toys, teddy bears, pillows everything you'd expect in a child's bedroom. The walls were covered with bright, colourful posters of celebrities and bands. Like Angelina herself, although innocent looking, the room didn't seem…normal to Reala. Once inside he immediately felt a desire to leave. There was a desk with a large mirror and a stool on one side of the room. Angelina sat at the stool. At that moment, another appeared next to her. She indicated for him to sit down. He, reluctantly, obeyed.

"So, you must be Reala." She said, examining him, "I've heard a lot of things about you." Reala's feeling of unease grew. There was something…wrong about her, he just couldn't put his finger on what it was. There was something about her…

"Really?" Reala asked, snapping out of his daze. "What have you heard?"

"Lots of things." Angelina said, simply, leaving Reala's question unanswered. "In any case, here you are. There is something that I want to ask you, if it's alright of course." That was when Reala realised what was strange about her. Although she could only be about six or seven years old, the way she spoke, the look in her eyes…they were all traits of somebody much older. Somebody who had seen or experienced too much in their lifetime. Now that Reala looked around the room again, all of the posters and toys, it seemed that this girl had lost her childhood and was desperately trying to reclaim it. At the same time though, she had a sense of authority about her. She seemed like somebody who could really get angry if she wanted to, somebody who had learnt to fend for themselves, even if others were harmed in the process.

"Oh, where are my manners?" She muttered, smiling slightly. "I haven't introduced myself yet." Her smile didn't look normal on her. "My name's Angelina."

"I know who you are." Reala said, "It is to my understanding this is your castle." Her mouth twitched, but her smile didn't fade.

"Yes, it's mine." She murmured, "I made it so I could be safe…safe from…" She trailed off, then shook her head, and said, "It's not important."

"Is there a reason you brought me here then?" Reala asked.

"Yes. As I said before, I want to ask you some questions." She paused, "It is true that you used to be friends with Wizeman's killer?" She seemed well informed.

"Yes, I used to know NiGHTS." Reala replied. Angelina nodded, she had expected the answer.

"Sire should know about this." She murmured to herself.

"Who?"

"It's not important." She repeated, "You should meet him soon enough."

"So, why is me knowing NiGHTS important?" Reala asked.

"There is a reason. But I think Sire would want to tell you in person."

"Again with 'Sire'! What is so special about this Sire person anyway?" Reala asked, irritably, "The name makes him sound all 'high and mighty'."

"There's a reason for that." Angelina said, pointedly.

"And what would that be?"

"As you said," Angelina replied, "High and mighty." Reala stared at her blankly. She sighed. "Sire is the person who now commands the nightmaren force." She explained. Reala frowned.

"Was he elected?" Reala asked, interested, leaning forward slightly.

"No. I've asked this question a lot. But everyone says that they didn't know what to do when Wizeman died and he just…took control."

"What kind of name is 'Sire' anyway?" Reala asked.

"Apparently, Wizeman never got around to naming him." She explained, "He was created just before his death. When he took control, everyone called him 'Sire' to show respect, and it just stuck." She crossed her legs and began looking around the room, humming to herself. Reala hadn't noticed before, but now that he looked, he could see several fresh cuts running up her legs, as well as one long scar on her ankle.

"How did you get those?" Reala asked, rather shocked. From what he understood, dreamers were treasured in their world. Why would somebody let her get injured? Angelina turned around, puzzled. Then realised what Reala was talking about.

"Oh…you noticed." Her face, which was previously blank, fell slightly. "Those would be the work of my father." Reala frowned.

"Your father?" Angelina sighed.

"Yes. He gets…frustrated from time to time." She uncrossed her legs, and looked down at the floor. "Ever since mother left, he's been really short-tempered. Fred used to protect me, but he ran away. He tried to take me with him, but I didn't want to go. I was too young to leave. My father-" She suddenly stopped. "Well, it's been nice meeting you, Reala." She stood up, walked over to the door. "I'll be seeing you sometime soon." She held open the door. Reala hesitated, than left, murmuring a quick 'goodbye' as he passed. The door slid shut behind him.

"_Well…that was…interesting to say the least."_ Reala thought, as he made his way to the staircase, _"They better have saved me some food."_

_AN: Yeah, so Reala's uniform is basically what he wears in JOD (in case you couldn't tell by my bad description). Anyway, R&R! (has any one else noticed I write that at the end of each chapter) _


	7. Jacksy

_AN: Whoever guesses the new character's inspiration before the end of the chapter gets a cookie! I'm think I might be introducing too many characters in a row, but they're kinda needed for the story._

_**Jackle's POV:**_

Jackle hadn't enjoyed his meal that much. Or rather, he'd tried to, but kept on noticing what people were saying about him. He now sat in his quarters, throwing a rubber ball against the wall, and catching it when it came back. He'd already unpacked, and if he was needed he would be called upon, until then he had a lot of time to kill. He sighed. He was bored. The problem was, if he went outside the room he'd have to listen to the nightmaren's muttering. He was unhappy in the room, he was unhappy out of the room, there really was no way to get around it. The sound of footsteps had disappeared, replaced by the dull thud of Jackle's ball as it rebounded off the wall.

"_Would've thought there would be at least one person who wanted to talk."_ Jackle thought as he watched the ball's progress. _"I guess not. How did these rumours start anyway?"_ He frowned,_ "Oh yeah. The firework. But it wasn't my fault Clawz left them lying around. Honestly, he should've kept them locked up or something. I've stolen those things so many times, would've thought he'd learned his lesson by now. Hang on he's a cat, he probably can't use locks. Can he? I can't imagine him holding a key in those paws…" _Jackle went back to watching the ball bounce. Thud. Thud. Thud. He found watching it move and listening to the thudding noise it made strangely hypnotic. Thud. Thud. Thud. Jackle's mind wandered to Reala for a moment. He wondered how he was getting on. Then he remembered what Reala was like and turned his attention back to the ball. Thud. Thud. Thud. Cough. Jackle frowned and spun around in his chair. There was nobody there, but it had sounded close. After a few seconds he realised it must've been somebody outside and went back to what he was doing. Thud. Thud. Thud. There, back to the usual noises. Thud. Thud. Thud. Cough. Jackle turned around again, annoyed. Was somebody standing outside the door? Jackle stood up and looked through the key hole to check. There was nobody outside. Jackle stood up, turned around and cried out in shock. A person stood in front of him. Of course the fact that he had gotten in without Jackle knowing was surprising. But the shocking part was the way he looked. He looked exactly the same as Jackle. Everything about him was the same, the eyes, the clothes, everything. The person was watching Jackle, a small smile on his (Jackle's) face.

"_Woah! Who knew I was so ruggedly handsome?" _The person exclaimed, gleefully. He'd even taken Jackle's voice. Jackle's jaw dropped. _"Apparently __**you **__didn't." _The person remarked. _"I know you're mesmerised by my obvious good looks. But try not to stare." _Jackle was to shocked to say anything.

"_Not a talker, hmm?" _The person said, _"That's fine by me, pal. Everyone always complains I talk too much, so I can talk for the two of us. We'd make a great little team wouldn't we?" _He frowned slightly, then added, _"I don't think I'll be able to rely on your awareness that much though. I was being so obvious, coughing and waving my arms at you, and you didn't notice me!"_

"But…how…who are you?" Jackle gasped.

"_Jackle's the name." _The person replied

"No…no** I'm** Jackle." Jackle said, frowning.

"_Hang on. I was Jackle first." _The person insisted, _"So I think I should get the name. You can be Jack! Or Jackie. Whichever takes your fancy."_

"No, I'm not being called Jack!" Jackle exclaimed. He couldn't believe he was actually having this conversation. With **this** person of all people. The person sighed.

"_Fine! I'll be Jack. But only cause it'll make you happy." _The person said as he sat down on the bed. There was a pause._ "So…you play cards?"_

"You're not real." Jackle muttered. The person-Jack-pretended to be insulted.

"_Didn't mummy ever tell you that's not how you treat someone nicely?"_

"You can't be real." Jackle insisted, walking towards his clone.

"_Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words won't hurt me." _Jack said, folding his arms and pouting.

"How about a fist?" Jackle swung his fist directly into his copy's face. It passed right through him, without leaving any mark. "Aha!" Jackle exclaimed, "I knew it. I'm imagining things. It's all in my mind."

"_Ah, you see you're only half right, so no gold star for you."_ Jack said, mockingly, _"Don't be sad. I already used them up on the intelligent people."_

"What do you mean 'half right'?" Jackle asked, confused.

"_Well I'm sorta in your mind." _Jack admitted, _"But I'm not imaginary."_

"So, me seeing people isn't my imagination?" Jackle scoffed.

"_Yep." _Jack replied, seriously. _"I'm more like a co-pilot." _He frowned, _"Hang on…that wasn't a very good analogy…" _

"So what are you then?" Jackle asked, confused.

"_I'm a part of you that influences what you do from time to time."_

"You mean like a mood?" Jackle asked, confused.

"_Sorta. More like a…personality."_

"Hang on…are you who I change into when my condition effects me?" Jackle asked. He was having difficulty taking this in. He heard what Jack said, he just didn't acknowledge it.

"_No, and we really ought to think of a name for that. It'll be annoying just calling it 'your condition' all the time_. _Anyway I've met the personality you change into, while in your mind, and he's quite a nice fellow. I consider him my little brother." _Jack smiled, _"He was so eager to learn my tricks-"_

"There are more of you?" Jackle exclaimed, surprised.

"_Yeah." _Jack said happily. _"Loads. You know what they say, 'the more the merrier'!"_

"But how?" Jackle asked, aghast.

"_We've always been here Jack-sy." _Jack said, a mocking smile on his lips, _"I'm surprised you haven't found one of us in your head before. It's almost completely empty after all."_

"But why are you here at all?"

"_I dunno." _Jack said, unhelpfully. _"Something to do with your condition maybe?"_

"But only one of you can take me over?" Jackle asked.

"_No. Remember you're not always violent when you change. Anyone can…but only __**one **__wants to. Others will give it a go sometimes but not very often." _Jackle was having a hard time taking this in. He was listening, but not really understanding.

"_And we can make a trip outside your head at any time."_ Jack continued, standing up, _"I'm the only one who's been bothered so far."_

"Hang on. If you're inside my head, do you know how my condition works?" Jackle asked, curiously. _"Yeah." _Jack replied, _"It's a long explanation so I'll keep it short. Basically, when you get all worked up or tired or stressed your mind takes a little nap to recharge and we're the co-pilots. That good enough for ya?" _What Jack was saying finally began to sink in.

"This isn't happening." He moaned walking away. "It can't be."

"_You see, the problem with that theory is…it is." _Jack said, following Jackle as he made his way to the door.

"No. I'm just tired. Maybe if I walk for a bit…"

"_What, Jack-sy? I'll magically disappear?" _Jack chuckled, _"I come and go when I please. And wanna see the castle so I'm not leaving." _Jackle ignored him and walked into the corridor, closing the door behind him. Jack walked straight through it, grinning as he examined the corridor.

"_This guy really has a thing for marble, huh?" _He remarked, as he followed Jackle. Jackle tried to ignore him and made his way up the staircase.

"_Are you ignoring me, Jack-sy?"_ Jack asked, amused."My name is Jackle." Jackle corrected.

"_Jack-sy sounds better."_ Jack muttered as they walked out into the corridor above._ "Jackle makes you sound like a rebel…tough guy sorta person, and while that might get you some ladies it won't get you any friends."_

"Will you be quiet!" Jackle snapped, spinning around to face him. It was only then that he realised he was in the middle of a crowd of nightmaren. They were staring at him, confused. Jackle continued down the corridor, weaving his way through the crowd. Jack just walked straight through them, a large grin on his face the entire time. Jackle suddenly realised he should of stayed in his quarters. He wanted to be alone. He continued down the corridor, with Jack following him every step of the way.

"_Hey, Jack-sy."_ Jack began, _"You aren't giving a very good first impression, y'know."_

"Shut up." Jackle hissed, not turning to face him.

"_Was it something I said?"_ Jack asked.

"Just leave me alone." Jack whispered, so the nightmaren wouldn't hear. Jack laughed.

"_Or what? Are you going to try and punch me again? 'Cause I don't think that'll work too well." _Jackle didn't reply. He had the urge to hit Jack, even though he couldn't. His constant smile was beginning to annoy him.

"_But seriously, Jacks,"_ Jack continued, _"What did I do? This isn't a very nice way to treat someone."_

"You're not a person, so stop pretending to be." Jackle muttered.

"_Oh! I'm so insulted." _Jack said sarcastically, a huge smile still prominent on his face, _"Okay…so I'm guessing you don't like me 'cause you think I'll just add to your problems?"_

"Well done." Jackle spat, angrily.

"_You're acting like a child."_ Jack sung, walking beside Jackle now, _"Really, it's not as if you've got any problems anyway. 'Oh no! People don't like me!'"_ His smile was suddenly replaced by an angry grimace, _"Grow up!"_ He spat.

"_You could be a lot worse off y'know."_ The grin reappeared on his face, _"You could still have Reala following you around."_

"I'd prefer him to you." Jackle muttered. Jack paid no attention to what he said.

"_What do you think he's doing now?"_ Jack asked, _"My guess is, he's trying to create and take the position of, annoying-ugly-control-freak-with-an-anger-problem…rank two." _Jackle stopped and entered a closet to his right. It was completely empty. Jack walked through the wall, Jackle turned around to face him.

"Leave me alone!" He ordered. Jack's smile grew wider.

"_Oh, look at Mr. Tough Guy."_ He said, happily.

"Listen, just go away." Jackle insisted, "Get back inside my head or whatever, and don't come out again, got it?"

"_Or what? You'll look me in the closet? I'm already here!" _He exclaimed.

"Just go away!" Jackle said, voice rising. Jack's smile disappeared again. His features transformed into an angry glare.

"_That's enough!"_ He snapped, _"I didn't come up here to be shouted at. I might as well leave."_

"Please do." Jackle said angrily. Jack glared at him for a moment, then disappeared. Jackle sighed in relief and made his way towards the door.

"_Hi again!"_ A familiar voice said, happily. Jackle stopped and turned around. Nobody was there.

"I thought you said you were leaving." He muttered.

"_I have. I'm just providing the commentary."_ Jack said, _"Also, in here, I don't have to look at you."_ Jackle groaned. Jack wasn't going to go away.

"We look the same." Jackle pointed out, as he placed his hand on the door handle.

"_It looks better on me."_ Jack said. Jackle sighed again and walked back into the corridor, Jack's voice and laughter following him every step of the way.

_AN: Yeah, so Jack is inspired by The Joker. Not the 'Dark Knight' Joker, the cartoon one. Mainly because The Joker is just plain awesome! There are a lot things that he said which are just quoting what The Joker says like calling Jackle/Batman Jack-sy/Bat-sy. I might not update in a while (half term, yay!) just so you know. Anyway, R&R!_


	8. The Next Step

_AN: Sorry it took me so long to upload. I got a bit caught up in real life (I know it's unhealthy, I'm trying to quit. xD), so here it is! Finally, how long has it been? Anyway, enough stalling._

_**Reala's POV: **_

Reala had just received some good news. Well, good for him, not so good for the rest of the nightmaren. It had been a week since Reala had joined the nightmaren faction. Sire had been absent from the castle for quite some time before Reala had joined, supposedly on some kind of mission. The day before, Sire had been reported "killed in action". Nobody was sure how it had happened, the details hadn't been released to the public yet, but nightmaren had already begun speculating what had taken place. There were rumours going around, one saying that he'd died while taking on a group of over fifty Guides and managed to take half of them with him in the process. Another, explained how he had sacrificed himself for the nightmaren, and how the nightmaren would've been completely wiped out if it wasn't for him. Reala didn't know what had happened either, but he knew the stories weren't true. Still, nightmaren had always enjoyed spreading stories, and they all put Sire in a good light. Reala doubted it would be good for morale if they were told that Sire had had his throat slit while he slept, or he'd been caught unawares and stabbed in the back. It was better to let the nightmaren think he died like a hero, for now at least. The atmosphere in the castle was especially gloomy, the nightmaren had put their faith in two leaders, and both had died. Some of them had given up hope of defeating The Guides. Reala still had high expectations though, they didn't need numbers to wipe the scum of the face of nightopia. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter who led them or how many of them there were, it would always end the same way. The Guides would die.

Reala wasn't as upset as his colleagues. In fact, he could see a way that the situation could turn out for the better. He'd been given the second most powerful position in the nightmaren ranks, he could only assume that now his only superior was dead, he'd be promoted. After all, if it came to a choice between the two of them, he was sure that he'd be picked over was making his way towards Angelina's quarters. He could only assume it was to plan their next move. Reala didn't like Angelina much, she was too smart for his liking. No child should know that much. He supposed that nightopia could've enhanced her ideya, it did happen, although it was rare. Reala had found out that Angelina had the ideya of growth and intelligence. If nightopia **had **enhanced them, that would mean she would be more intelligent than she would normally be and that her dream-body would grow at a faster rate than her physical-body. It seemed unlikely, but Reala had no other way of explaining it. Despite his disliking of the girl, Reala knew he would have to see her. Reala and Angelina both shared the same position of power, although nobody said it out loud, everyone was counting on them to think up a plan of action. They were lost without their leader, somebody needed to sort everything out. Reala knocked on the door to Angelina's quarters. There was a pause, Reala could hear people talking behind the door. Then the door opened, and a group of grim-looking nightmaren walked out. Some of them saluted as they passed Reala. When they had all left, Reala heard Angelina's voice say,

"Come in." Reala entered the room, to see Angelina sitting at the same stool she had been on when he'd last talked to her. The room hadn't changed, and neither had Angelina, she wore the same pink, old, stained dress, the only difference he could notice was a small cut on her right cheek. Reala sat down next to her, she spoke first.

"You don't seem very effected by our leader's passing." She noted, looking down at the floor.

"I never knew him." Reala said simply. She nodded.

"Personally, I will miss him." She said, sadly, "He was a very kind person, he didn't deserve to die the way he did."

"How **did** he die?" Reala asked, curiously. Angelina looked up at him, and replied,

"It wasn't as spectacular as other people make it out to be." She began, "Him and his team were attacked while they slept. Sire was captured, and spent two days in The Guide's custody. We're not sure what happened during that time, but we think he may have been questioned or tortured."

"You are too young to know about these sorts of things." Reala interrupted, slightly disturbed by her matter-of-fact tone as she described her friend's death.

She didn't reply, after a moment's pause, she continued "After the two days he spent in their company, he was publicly executed."

"Hang on." Reala began, confused, "I have met their leader, I know how they think. That does not seem like something they would do." Angelina nodded in agreement.

"It isn't how they normally do things, but I suppose they were angry enough with him to break their own rules. There were some protesters, of course." She continued, "One of them including their personal hero, NiGHTS." Reala felt a strange sensation in his stomach at the mention of NiGHTS' name.

"But that is not what we're here to talk about." Angelina muttered, "We have a much bigger problem than your traitorous brother on our hands, though coincidently, he may be part of the solution." There was a pause.

"Before we begin, I need to ask, would you be willing to try and complete Sire's task. You would be doing your kind a huge favour if you did." Reala barley had to think about it.

"Of course." He replied. Angelina smiled gratefully at him.

"I should probably explain the problem to you." She muttered, then she stood up and began to pace up and down the room, not saying anything the entire time. Then, after a brief period of silence, she began to speak,

"As you know, nightmaren are genderless. They have no way of reproducing. The only way you didn't all die out before was because of Wizeman. But he's gone now. There's nobody to create more nightmaren. We've tried to make our own, believe me, but all the attempts we made failed." She stopped pacing, and turned around to face Reala.

"If this war continues, your race will die out. Even if we won, so many of your kind would be killed, that it is possible only a mere quarter or fifth of your race would survive the struggle." She walked over to Reala, sat back down, then continued,

"When he was alive, Sire came up with an plan which could possibly solve the problem. His idea was to quit while we were ahead. Instead of killing the entire faction of Guides or forcing them into submission, he decided we needed to find a quicker way to end the war, a way which involved as little deaths as possible. If we could find a way to make them surrender, or just a way of talking to them, then we could explain the population problem to them.

"Only a few nightmaren a gifted with superior intelligence, you included. Most of those nightmaren would be killed if we let the war continue. But we need those nightmaren, the more the better, to find a way to resolve this problem. The more of these brilliant minds we have, no matter which faction they've sided with, the more likely we shall find a solution."

"That makes sense." Reala said, agreed, "But how come I have never heard about this problem before? And how are we going to end the war quickly?"

"Sire believed it was best to keep this information from going public." Angelina explained, "It would cause panic. Some of the more intelligent nightmaren have figured it out for themselves, but we've told them to keep their mouths shut and, so far, they've done exactly that.

"As for how to stop the war, Sire already had a plan for that. The Guides are inspired by and look up to your twin, NiGHTS. If we were to come into contact with him, and explain the situation, he might decide to help unite the factions." Reala stared at Angelina incredulously.

"You want to call a truce?"

"It is the reasonable thing to do." Angelina said.

"Hang on." Reala said, angrily, getting to his feet, "I am all for ending this war, that plan makes sense. And I would not mind working with The Guides if they had surrendered. But siding with such vermin, treating them as equals, is something I will not tolerate!" Angelina frowned,

"We're trying to avoid as many deaths as possible." She said, a slight hint of annoyance in her voice, "Calling a truce will help our chances with the population problem."

"It would be easier to kill NiGHTS to lower their morale." Reala hissed, "Then they might surrender."

"I doubt it. Even if you did kill him what if they don't back down?"

"Then we would **make** them!"

"In turn worsening the problem!" Angelina retorted, in a surprisingly loud voice, getting to her feet, "I'm not part of your race, but I'm trying my best to help it! Hear me out." There was a pause, then Reala sat back down.

"Thank you." Angelina said, her voice returning to it's normal tone. She sat down, then continued,

"Killing NiGHTS is a risky option. It **could **cause The Guides to lose morale and, eventually, surrender, or it could give them more reason to keep on fighting, so as to avenge their fallen idol.

"In any case, killing NiGHTS would be a last resort. We should try and persuade him first, agreed?"

"Why do we have to talk to him?" Reala asked, "Why not persuade one of The Guide members to help us?"

"Do you really think they'd think twice about killing you on sight?" Angelina asked, scathingly, "After all you've done?" Reala thought about this, then sighed and muttered,

"No, I suppose not. Maybe…maybe talking to NiGHTS is a better tactic. But how do you know **he** would not kill me on sight as well?"

"Apparently he considered you his brother, apparently he still does. If we can think of a good cover, he might believe you."

"Sire was trying to perform this task when he was captured. While his death was tragic, it had helped us. We now know NiGHTS' location. He was carrying a beacon around with him whilst he travelled, he was captured just before he could make contact with NiGHTS. All you need to do is find the beacon, then you should be able find NiGHTS easily."

"But Sire was killed in that area." Reala remarked, "There could still be guards stationed around the beacon's location."

"That is unlikely. NiGHTS was disgusted by Sire's execution, according to our spies, he has requested that all Guide forces stay away from his camp. He doesn't trust them as he once did.

"So, whoever takes part in this mission should be safe. I assume you still want to do this? It's not too late to back out." Reala paused. He didn't like the idea of playing 'peacemaker' or meeting his twin in a non-violent manner, but…if it was for the good of the nightmaren…

"Of course I do." He replied.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" She asked, "From what I've heard you're not exactly fond of NiGHTS. Would you be able to control yourself around him?"

"I am not sure, but I will try my best." Reala said. Angelina smiled, gratefully, then indicated that he could. As Reala made his way to the door, he heard Angelina's voice say,

"Before you go, there's one last thing you need to know." Reala turned around to look at her.

"This is optional, but recommend it." She said, stroking the cut on her cheek as she spoke, "I am aware that there is somebody else in the castle who used to be familiar with NiGHTS, somebody that NiGHTS might find more trustworthy." Reala groaned as he realised where she was going with this.

"If you were to bring him along," She continued, "He could help you massively. If it **does** come to violence, you would need a partner, also you need someone to make sure you don't crack and attack NiGHTS." Reala thought for a moment, he didn't like it, but it made sense.

"I will bring him along." He sighed, resigned. Angelina nodded,

"I shall inform him soon." On that note, Reala left the room, closing the door behind him. He sighed again. He was already beginning to regret volunteering…

_AN: There! It's done. Note: I know I've left some questions unanswered, but I'll answer them soon, I promise. Anyway, let me know what you think, I'll try not to take so long to update this time =). R&R, please!_


	9. A familiar face

_AN: Part 9...I don't really have anything to say until the end._

_**Jackle's POV:**_

"_What ya doin', Jack-sy?"_

"You know what I'm doing."

"_No I don't."_

"I'm packing."

"_Packing for what? Where are you going?"_

"You know where I'm going, you're just trying to wind me up." Jack pulled a face and muttered,

"_You're no fun."_ There was a pause.

"_But what would you do if, hypothetically of course, I wasn't listening to a word you said when you explained it the first time?"_ Jack asked, looking at Jackle expectantly. Jackle sighed.

"I'd ask you to tell me what we've done so far today." Jackle replied.

"_Well…"_ Jack began, frowning, _"You woke up…we were about to leave the room when someone came to the door…then I stared at my feet for a couple of minutes…then you started packing your bag and then…now. This is still hypothetical, right?"_

"I got assigned a mission, remember?"

"_Yeah."_ Jack said smiling. Then his smile faded and he shook his head, _"No."_

"Well I did." Jackle said, matter-of-factly.

"_So…what do ya have to do?"_

"It'll take too long to explain." Jackle said, simply, not looking up.

"_Aww, come on, Jack-sy."_ Jack jeered, _"Give me a hint? No, wait I can figure it out myself. You're going to try and get your dignity back? You're going to try and eat your own face?"_ This went on for a long time. Jack only stopped talking when Jackle left his quarters and began to make his way upstairs. Jack wasn't far behind him, of course. In fact, he had barely ever left Jackle alone since he'd first appeared a week ago. Jackle had been extremely frustrated by this at first, but he'd learnt to ignore his double's taunts and jibes. Jackle didn't need to try to block Jack's voice today, though. He was too busy thinking. He was going to see NiGHTS again. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Well, it was good for **him**, but what about Reala? Jackle didn't know much about what happened whilst he had been inside The Dungeon. Although, from what he had seen and been told about Reala, Jackle could assume that they weren't exactly 'best buddies'.

Another thing that had been constantly on his mind since he'd been assigned the mission was what NiGHTS would think of him. The last time they'd met, a mere week and a half ago (Five years from NiGHTS perspective) it had been violent, Jackle wasn't sure how NiGHTS would react if he saw him. He'd been told that NiGHTS might not trust Reala and would be more likely to trust him, but Jackle wasn't so sure. Time could change people. What if NiGHTS wasn't anything like the nightmaren that Jackle had known all that time ago? Although, Reala had said that NiGHTS had been sorry when he'd taken Jackle back to nightmare, hadn't he? That had to mean something, right? Jackle came back down to earth, just in time to hear Jack say,

"…_and so the chicken said, 'Hey, I'm tryin' to eat here!'."_ Jack laughed at his joke, frowned, then added, _"On second thought, that isn't my best one. Oh! I know! So, there's a nightopian, a dreamer and a nightmaren, and they all go to a bar, right? The bartender asks what they'd like, so the dreamer says-"_

"Jack." Jackle interrupted, coming to a halt, and turning to face him. There were less people on the higher levels, and they had been walking up stairs for quite a while, so Jackle didn't have to worry about being seen talking to thin air.

"_Yes?"_ Jack said, irritably, annoyed that he couldn't finish his joke.

"Why are you here?"

"_**Again**__ with the rudeness." _Jack muttered, disapprovingly.

"I'm being serious." Jackle said, "Why are you here? You said you've been in my head since I was first created, right?"

"_Yeah. Having different personalities was, and always has been, part of your condition. We've been through this before."_ Jack replied, rolling his eyes.

"Yes. But, if you've been there the whole time_, _how come you've only shown up now?" Jack didn't say anything for a moment, then he smiled, and put his finger to his 'lips'.

"_It's a secret."_

"But you said there were more of you," Jackle continued, "How come you're the only one I can see?" Jack's smile widened, as he repeated the gesture. Jackle was about to press the question further, but at that moment a group of nightmaren entered the hallway. He sighed, turned around, and continued up the many floors of the castle, while Jack went back to telling jokes.

_**Reala's POV:**_

Reala and Angelina stood quietly outside her quarters, waiting for Jackle to arrive. Reala couldn't believe he'd agreed to this, it was bad enough that he had to associate himself with a traitor, but to do it with that idiot following him around the whole time. However, he knew that Jackle could help, so he decided he'd try and talk things through with the transparent-nightmaren. It would probably help the mission if the two of them weren't bickering the entire time. While Reala may not like Jackle, maybe, after some time, he might start to get along with him. Maybe. But it couldn't be too hard, right? All he had to do was treat him nicely, right? Then, finally, Jackle came into view, bag slunng over his 'shoulder'. He walked over to the two of them, he looked a bit nervous.

"Hello, Jackle." Angelina said, smiling.

"Hi." Jackle replied, clearly unsure how to act around her. Reala didn't blame him. Jackle nodded at Reala. Reala did the same. There was a somewhat, awkward silence.

"I trust you know what you're meant to be doing?" Angelina asked.

"Yep." Jackle confirmed, nodding.

"Well, you're both here. You're both ready. Any questions?" Angelina instructed.

"Yes." Jackle began, "How are we going to find NiGHTS? I mean, we don't know where he is, do we?"

"Sire was keeping a beacon with him when he was captured." Reala explained, in what he hoped was a friendly way, "He was near to NiGHTS' location when he was discovered, and I have already located the beacon prior to this." Jackle nodded in acknowledgment.

"Well then, you'd best be on your way." Angelina noted.

"So soon?" Jackle asked, surprised.

"No time like the present." Angelina said. Jackle looked to his right for a moment, as though somebody had spoken to him, then turned back and replied,

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Reala was slightly confused by this, but supposed it had just been his imagination. He held out his arm. Jackle hesitated, then took hold of it. Within seconds, the pair had disappeared.

_**Jackle's POV:**_

They re-appeared in a large, forest. They were completely surrounded by trees and small boulders. The sky was a dark shade of purple, and empty. In fact, the whole forest seemed that way. There was no sound, and Jackle couldn't see far into the forest's dark interior. There was a path running into the dark depths of the forest, winding around the many objects in it's way. They stood inside the remnants of the, rather small, camp. There were no signs of battle, which unnerved Jackle a bit. There were two tents, a extinguished campfire in the centre and a small, black orb sitting in front of them. Reala picked it up and muttered,

"This must be the beacon."

"So…what now?" Jackle asked, relying on Reala for instruction. He'd probably end up doing something wrong if he just ran off. Reala thought for a moment.

"Well, I think you should go ahead." He muttered.

"Excuse me?" Jackle asked, confused.

"_Coward."_ Jack said, appearing, piece by piece behind Reala, _"I thought this guy was meant to be a war hero or something."_

"Well," Reala continued, "It makes sense. I mean, NiGHTS is more likely to trust you than me."

"So, it isn't because you're nervous about seeing him again?" Jackle questioned.

"No." Reala replied, his eyes darting to the ground as he spoke.

"Really?" Jackle said, knowing that he was lying.

"_Liar, liar, pants on fire!"_ Jack sung, skipping over to Jackle, _"Actually…he isn't even wearing pants!"_ Jackle was surprised that Reala didn't notice Jack dancing in front of him, he had to remind himself that only **he** could see his copy.

"Ok, that is partially true." Reala admitted, "But it is mainly because of what I said earlier. He will trust you more than me."

"You just want to get rid of me, don't you?" Jackle said, annoyed, "If you don't like me, then why did you bring me?"

_**Reala's POV:**_

In all honesty, Jackle **did **have a point. Reala did want him gone, and he wasn't keen on meeting NiGHTS again. In a way, the two things were connected. Because, only recently, Reala had realised why he disliked Jackle: he acted too similarly to NiGHTS. He wasn't exactly the same of course, but some the things he did, the things he said, it was extremely reminiscent of Reala's twin brother. He supposed that was why the two had got on so well before. Jackle gave Reala an angry stare as the silence between them lengthened. Even **that** was similar to NiGHTS. Reala had always felt uncomfortable when NiGHTS had gotten angry with him and, although he'd never admit it, he still did. Jackle had the same effect on him.

"Listen," Reala began, "I know that we have not exactly become better friends since we met." Jackle raised a questioning 'eyebrow'. "But, if you would like, I think we should try again. A fresh start. What do you think?" He didn't reply for a moment.

"You'd stop treating me badly?" Jackle asked.

"Yes."

"You'd stop insulting me?"

"Yes."

"A fresh start?" Jackle repeated, thinking. Reala had realised that what he had thought earlier was never going to happen. He would never **like **Jackle. But, if he pretended to, just for this task, then maybe things would go better. Reala tried his best to look sincere as Jackle pondered his offer. There was a pause, then Jackle smiled broadly and said, "Why not?" Reala returned the smile, glad that Jackle was as forgiving as he was. He seemed to have borrowed that aspect from NiGHTS as well.

"Great. Now can I finish my explanation?"

"Sure." Jackle replied.

"I would not be leaving you by yourself, I would follow you, but discreetly. Just in case things do not go as planned and you need help." Reala explained, "But as I would not come into direct contact with NiGHTS, that would your job. He would probably attack me if he saw me."

"Ok, that makes sense." Jackle agreed, "I'll do it."

"Thank you. Take this." Reala said, giving Jackle the orb. "Keep it with you, so I know where you are. I will let you walk ahead for a bit, then I shall start following. The best thing to do, I think, would be to follow that path."

"Ok." Jackle replied. There was a pause. "Oh! I'm supposed to go **now**?"

"Yes." Reala said, trying not to sound too angry.

"Oh, my bad." Jackle said, quickly. Then he hurried down the path, stumbling a couple of times as he went. Reala sighed. Him and NiGHTS **really** weren't that different.

_**Jackle POV:**_

Jackle slowed down his pace to a walk when he lost sight of Reala. There was silence for a brief period, until Jack materialised next to him.

"_So, you and him best buddies now, eh, Jack-sy?" _He said, mockingly, _"Personally, I would've hit him with something. I trust you have a good reason for lying like that, right?"_

"What are you talking about?" Jackle asked, confused.

"_You really think that if you say a few things and smile everything will be fine between the two of you?"_ Jack scoffed, _"He didn't make any effort to be kind to you before, why should he now? I wasn't fooled by your little act, even if Reala was. Come on, spill the beans, why'd you lie?"_

"I didn't. He just wants to be friends," Jackle insisted, "What's wrong with that?" Jack stared incredulously at Jackle for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"_Wow! I always knew you were stupid, but I didn't know you were gullible as well!" _Jack giggled, shaking his head, _"Reala doesn't do anything for anyone else. All that stuff he said about, 'starting over' was a lie, so that the mission would run more smoothly, or something." _Jackle felt slightly annoyed at Jack's words.

"He wouldn't do that." Jackle muttered, ignoring the small voice in his head that said Jack was right, "You're just trying to disrupt things."

"_What do you mean by that?"_ Jack asked, his smile fading off his face.

"It's what you do." Jackle said, simply, "You love to annoy me, just because you're bored. It really doesn't surprise that you're trying to mess this up for your own amusement." Jack's expression darkened.

"_I'm not trying to 'mess this up', I'm pointing out the obvious. Do you __**really**__ think Reala would want to be 'friends' with anyone, let alone you? You're way too trusting. Even now, you're defending him as though you've know him for years."_

"People can change." Jackle insisted, "I've got to give him a chance, haven't I?"

"_No, you don't."_ Jack noted, simply. Jackle was starting to get angry now.

"You don't get it, you've been in my head for most of your life, if you even **are **alive. You don't understand." Jack took a few steps forward and turned around to face Jackle, blocking his path. Jackle stopped walking, and gave Jack a questioning look.

"_Trust me, I understand."_ Jack said, angrily, _"I'll have you know that-"_ Jackle rolled his eyes and walked straight through his clone, ignoring his words.

"_Ok, fine don't listen to me."_ Jack called from behind him.

"Way ahead of you." Jackle called back. There was a long silence, then Jackle heard Jack gasp. Jackle ignored it._"Well since you're not listening to me."_ Jack said, the glee returning to his voice, _"You totally won't want to turn around right now."_ Jackle ignored him and continued walking.

"_Seriously."_ Jack said, his voice becoming more distant, _"Don't. Turn. Around. There's nothing there."_ Jackle sighed, then turned around.

"Look, can you just-" He trailed off, as he saw who was standing in front of him. The person must've been following him, and Jackle got a shock when he saw him. He cried out and jumped backwards. The stranger didn't move, as though he was frozen in shock. Puzzled, Jackle looked more carefully at the stranger, as to identify him. The figure was tall, slim and dressed in purple clothes. There was a large red diamond-like object on his chest. It didn't take Jackle that long to figure out who it was. The figure standing in front of him, was NiGHTS.

_AN: So yeah. That's chapter nine and it's also, in a way, a cliff-hanger. Anyway, I'll try to update soon, no promises though. You never know what might turn up. Anyway, R&R._


	10. Catching up

_AN: From now on, I'm going fan-character free (Excluding Jack). It's not that I have a problem with them, it's just when __**I**__ use them that I don't like it. I kinda needed them though, but I tried to put them as far on the sidelines as possible. In short, we won't be seeing them again (If I don't change my mind, of course). Warning: This chapter contains a few clichés that couldn't be avoided, sorry._

_**Jackle's POV:**_

There was a long silence. Jackle had no idea what to do, maybe if he'd known this had been coming he could of prepared _something_ to say, but all he could do now was stare at his old friend. NiGHTS looked a lot more surprised than Jackle felt. The two just stared at each other, completely at a loss for words. The silence continued for a long time, then, finally, NiGHTS broke it.

"Jackle?" He asked, confused. Jackle smiled, timidly.

"Hi." He muttered, waving his hand.

The two fell into silence again, NiGHTS inspected Jackle, curiously. Then, without warning, NiGHTS shot towards Jackle and drove his fist directly into his invisible-stomach. Jackle gasped, then fell backwards, landing, painfully, on the ground with a loud thud. As Jackle tried to stand back up, he noticed that NiGHTS was now frozen again. He looked even more confused then he had before. Jackle was now back up on his feet, but before he could do anything, NiGHTS' foot smashed into the side of his head. Jackle fell back onto the ground As NiGHTS walked over to him, Jackle suddenly lashed out with his foot, knocking NiGHTS' legs out from underneath him. NiGHTS fell backwards, but didn't come into contact with the ground. Instead, he hovered a few centimetres above it, then he flew up into the dark sky, and shot towards Jackle again. Jackle stood back up.

"NiGHTS!" He yelled, hoping that he could hear him, "I'm not here to fight you!" NiGHTS shot past Jackle, narrowly missing his target.

"I'm sure you aren't!" NiGHTS responded sarcastically, "Just like the last one, right?" NiGHTS stopped in midair and made a strange gesture with his hand. Suddenly one of the nearby boulders, flew towards Jackle. Jackle altered the dream, bringing the boulder to a halt. Then he catapulted it in NiGHTS' direction. NiGHTS dodged it easily.

"How did you do that?" NiGHTS asked, frowning, "None of the others have been able to-"

"What others?" Jackle interrupted, confused. NiGHTS paused, then shook his head, and said,

"As if you don't know." Jackle had no idea what this meant, but had no time to brood upon it. NiGHTS shot towards Jackle once more, flying straight at his head. At the last moment, Jackle took out a card, and slashed blindly in NiGHTS' direction. It didn't do much damage, but it did throw NiGHTS off course. NiGHTS shot past Jackle and came to halt behind him, a small gash on his elbow.

"You're a lot more tricky than the others." He noted, breathing heavily. Jackle turned to face him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Jackle exclaimed, frustrated, "What others?" NiGHTS didn't reply, instead he adopted a fighting stance, supposedly about to lunge at him again. Jackle knew it was hopeless. For whatever reason, NiGHTS was attacking him. There was no doubt that NiGHTS was the better fighter, he _had_ killed Wizeman after all. Jackle decided to do, what he thought, was the sensible thing.

"Wait!" He shouted, pulling out his deck of cards and letting them fall to the ground. "I give up!" The confused expression returned to NiGHTS' face as Jackle did this, as though he was seeing something completely out of the ordinary.

"Why are you doing that?" He asked, perplexed.

"Because I don't want to fight." Jackle explained, "We can talk this over." NiGHTS paused, then relaxed. He walked over to Jackle, eyeing him warily.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Jackle, don't you remember me?" Jackle said, confused.

"Not that. Your _real_ name." NiGHTS insisted, ignoring Jackle's question.

"That _is_ my real name!" Jackle exclaimed. NiGHTS raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"Really?" He asked, obviously not believing Jackle.

"Really."

"So, you're the _real_ Jackle?"

"Yes. What do you mean by 'real'?" Jackle said, puzzled.

"Ok, if you're really him," NiGHTS began, again ignoring his question, "How did we first meet?" NiGHTS smirked, waiting for Jackle's reply.

"It was fifteen years ago, well, twenty for you." Jackle explained, frowning slightly as he tried to remember, "You had only just been created, so you were clueless about how others saw me or what I was like. You came to see me, you were touring the castle. We talked. A lot. You began to visit me from that point onwards and well, you get the idea." NiGHTS' smirk had vanished, replaced by a shocked stare.

"But…no one else knows that…besides…" NiGHTS trailed off, still staring at Jackle, bewildered. "It's you." He said, bluntly.

"Yeah." Jackle replied. There was a pause. "So…how've you been?" NiGHTS frowned for a second, then a huge smile spread across his face. A second later, Jackle was trapped in NiGHTS' vice-like hug.

"I can't believe it's really you!" NiGHTS exclaimed, burying his face in Jackle's transparent shoulder. Jackle was unsure what to do at this point, so he patted NiGHTS on the back and muttered,

"There, there." Eventually NiGHTS let him go, still smiling like a loon. His smile faded as he said,

"Er…sorry about attacking you."

"It's ok, you didn't hit me anyway." Jackle paused, then added, "Sorry about your elbow." NiGHTS frowned, looked at his cut, then shrugged.

"It's nothing major." He replied, simply.

"I want to ask you something, if that's ok." Jackle began.

"The need is mutual, but this is not the safest place to talk." NiGHTS said, "It would be best if we go further into the forest, nightmaren don't usually come that way." Jackle wasn't sure what to do at the moment, so he nodded and followed NiGHTS' lead. Jackle took out the beacon from his pocket, and began playing with it absentmindedly. As they walked into the darker part of the forest, Jack materialised next to Jackle, a huge grin on his face.

"_That was awesome!"_ He exclaimed happily, _"Really, NiGHTS put up a great fight…you not so much, though."_ Jackle didn't reply. He didn't want to look stupid in front of NiGHTS. Jack put on a mock-hurt voice,

"_Fine, don't talk to me."_ He was silent for a moment as he studied NiGHTS, _"Somebody's been working out." _He noted. Jackle ignored him, then turned to NiGHTS.

"Why were you attacking me earlier?" He asked, curiously.

"It's kind of a long story." NiGHTS replied.

"I've got time." Jackle said. NiGHTS smiled then began,

"Well, since I left nightmare, Wizeman was on my tail. At first, he didn't want to kill me, just to persuade me to come back. He'd send messengers to try and convince me, but I wouldn't go back." NiGHTS took a breath, then continued,

"When he realised I wasn't coming back, he began to send clones of people I used to know to try and kill me. He thought that if I believed it **was **the person, the clone would be able to get close to me and kill me without having to fight and he wouldn't have to waste any valuable nightmaren on me.

"The clones weren't very good at fighting. They couldn't use any of a normal nightmaren's abilities and weren't good at defending themselves, so that **had** to be sneaky. Luckily they didn't look _exactly_ the same, so I could tell they weren't real."

"So, you thought I was a clone?" Jackle asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." NiGHTS agreed.

"Even though you killed Wizeman, so he couldn't make any more clones?" NiGHTS frowned, then blushed slightly.

"I forgot about that…" He muttered, then he grinned, "Still, you're back. That's good, right?"

"Yeah." Jackle agreed.

"What have you been doing all this time?" NiGHTS asked, frowning.

"It's a long story…" Jackle said.

"That's what **I** said, and I still answered your question. Besides, I haven't seen you in five years, I'm curious." Jackle sighed, then explained how he had been 'sleeping' for the past five years and only woken up a couple of days ago. He made sure that he left out the part about Reala and the nightmaren, he knew that he would have to bring it up eventually, but for now he didn't want to mention it.

"Wow…" NiGHTS muttered, "That wasn't as eventful as I thought it would be." Jackle laughed. It seemed that NiGHTS hadn't changed much, of course Jackle had only been around him for a short time so couldn't make any judgments just yet. But, from what he'd seen, Jackle believed that NiGHTS was the same nightmaren he'd known five years ago. This made it easier for Jackle to relax in NiGHTS' presence. He was around somebody he could trust.

"What's that?" NiGHTS asked, pointing at the black orb Jackle was playing with.

"Oh…nothing." Jackle replied, putting the orb back in his pocket.

"So, what happened next? How did you get here?" NiGHTS said, casually.

"It's complicated…" Jackle muttered.

"I've got time." NiGHTS said, mimicking Jackle's earlier words.

"Err…well, I'd kinda prefer not to talk about it."

"Why?" NiGHTS asked, curiously. There was silence for a moment, then NiGHTS frowned and exclaimed, "Oh, we're here!" They had arrived, without noticing, at a large clearing. They stood in front of a large set of gates, which they had walked up to, unknowingly. Through the gate's bars, Jackle could see a large water fountain, surrounded by several doors, which all had little symbols engraved on their frames. It was just as quiet and empty-looking as the rest of the forest, save for the sound of running water. The fountain seemed to be inside a large area of the forest which was surrounded by a iron fence.

"We're where?" Jackle asked, confused.

"The dream gate." NiGHTS replied, pushing the iron gate open with his hand, "Haven't you heard of it?"

"Nope." Jackle said, following NiGHTS as they walked towards the fountain.

"That's funny, most of The Guide's members know about this place." NiGHTS muttered, "Then again, you're probably a new addition if you only woke up a few days ago."

"Yeah." Jackle murmured, not correcting NiGHTS' assumption. He felt as if he shouldn't reveal he was working with the nightmaren **just** yet. He knew he should try and convince NiGHTS to help him with his mission and that it was important, but he just couldn't bring himself to mention it.

"You didn't come here because of something business related did you?" NiGHTS asked, his smile fading slightly.

"No. I just wanted to see you." Jackle replied, half-truthfully.

"That's a relief." NiGHTS sighed, as they stopped in front of the fountain, "The Guides have been sending loads of messengers and soldiers over here to try and make me do things for them."

"What kinds of things?"

"Tasks, missions, whatever you want to call them." NiGHTS replied.

"But you work for them, so you'd have to do what they say, right?"

"I didn't work for them, I **volunteered **to help them." NiGHTS explained, "I'm not doing that anymore, though. I suppose people can't change completely..." NiGHTS fell into silence, staring into the water. Then he shook his head, and smiled,

"Sorry for getting all gloomy on you. C'mon." NiGHTS grabbed Jackle's hand and led him away from the fountain.

"Where are we going?" Jackle asked, confused.

"I need to introduce you to somebody." NiGHTS said, happily, "He'll kill me if I don't introduce you." Jackle followed NiGHTS over to a small, rather sorry-looking stump, NiGHTS frowned,

"He's usually around here…" He muttered, he shrugged then yelled, "OWL! GET OVER HERE!"

"_Owl?"_ Jack asked incredulously, as he walked casually out of a tree, _"What kind of name is 'Owl'?"_

At that moment, Jackle heard the sound of flapping wings behind him. He turned around, to see one of the weirdest things he could ever remember witnessing. Flying above the ground was an owl, wearing glasses and clothes. It had small blue eyes and large 'eyebrows' which were the same brown colour as it's feathers. It's face was strangely emotive as it stared at Jackle.

"Who might you be, young one?" It asked. It could talk?

"Owl, this is Jackle. Jackle, this is Owl." NiGHTS said, happily, waiting for one of them to react. Jack stared at the owl for a second, then muttered,

"_So…Owl…is an owl? I really should've seen that coming."_

"I don't mean to be rude. Hoo!" Owl began, "But…what are you? I've never seen a creature as strange as you around here."

"Look who's talking!" Jackle retorted, "When was the last time you saw another bird wearing glasses?" Owl frowned, then muttered,

"Fair enough."

"He's a nightmaren, like me." NiGHTS explained, "We're old friends."

"I see. Part of The Guides, are you?" Owl said, flying over to the stump and landing on top of it, not waiting for Jackle to respond, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jackle." He held out a wing. Jackle hesitated, then shook it. Owl 'smiled', then turned to NiGHTS and muttered,

"You didn't have to yell so loudly, you know." NiGHTS ignored him, and spoke to Jackle,

"Come with me, I need to introduce you to someone else."

"How long are we going to be doing this?" Jackle asked.

"Don't worry." NiGHTS replied, "It's only two people, it won't take long. C'mon." NiGHTS took Jackle's hand again and led him away from the stump. Owl followed them, muttering something about naïve and disrespectful 'young ones'. Unknown to them, a large pair of eyes watched the group's movements, their owner thinking deeply, about how he should go about getting what he wanted…

_AN: There! All done. It's a bit short, but whatever. Anyway, if there are any mistakes, point them out so I can correct them (I was a bit lazy with this chapter). R&R!_


	11. Introductions

_AN: Ok, I'm going on holiday to France (Which should hopefully have better weather than London) soon, so I might not update for a while. M'kay? Good. I don't know what else to say, so I'll throw in a random reference. "I am Wrek-Gar! I must deliver garbage to all!" _

_**Reala's POV:**_

But the problem was, he wasn't sure what he wanted. Angelina had warned that he might get the urge to attack NiGHTS, she had been right. It wasn't very strong, but it was still there and that was enough to jeopardise the entire operation. Reala frowned as he watched the group from the large tree he was currently sitting in. After a moment's thought Reala shook his head and tried to forget about it. All he needed to do was stay away from NiGHTS and everything would be fine. Angelina **had** wanted Reala to talk to him, but Reala didn't think he'd able to play 'goody-goody' around NiGHTS for very long. In any case, there was something else bothering Reala at the moment. Why hadn't Jackle asked for NiGHTS' help yet? That was the whole reason they were here, wasn't it? Reala sighed. He would never understand the way other people thought.

_**Jackle's POV:**_

NiGHTS led him and Owl away from the stump, grinning happily. Owl seemed a bit exasperated by NiGHTS' excitement, but kept his beak shut. Owl seemed like the old-wise-and-noble type and he looked out of place next to NiGHTS' energetic behaviour. They made an odd pair. Jackle was a bit confused by this, but didn't mention it, he was too busy trying to tell Jack to shut up without actually speaking. Jack was currently singing (Rather terribly) a song that he'd made up about five seconds ago. Just as he was about to hit a high-note, Jackle managed to get his message across by faking a loud cough and giving Jack a very pointed look.

"_You take the fun out of everything, don't you?"_ He muttered, looking rather annoyed. He began a long and loud rant about why he should be respected.

"So, who are you introducing me to?" Jackle asked, trying his best to ignore Jack's rant.

"Two dreamers that I'm friends with." NiGHTS replied, happily, "They're called…well you'll find out when you meet them."Jack stopped mid-sentence and frowned.

"_Two dreamers, eh? Those must be the two that helped NiGHTS kill old Wize-y!"_ He exclaimed, suddenly looking excited. Then his expression changed again, turning into a look of disappointment._ "But, you're going to try and befriend them, aren't you Jack-sy?"_ He sighed, and muttered, _"You know what? Sometimes you can just be stupid."_ The group arrived at one of the doors which encircled the fountain, NiGHTS turned and addressed Jackle hurriedly.

"I'll be back soon. You two just stay here for a bit and talk, ok?" NiGHTS, not waiting for a reply, shot through the door, leaving Jackle and Owl alone together.

"I would've expected him to spend more time with you before running off." Owl remarked, "Since he said you were close friends."

"Maybe he's just be excited for the other two to meet me." Jackle suggested.

"_Or maybe he hates you."_ Jack added, unhelpfully.

"Yes, I think that's it too." Owl agreed, "He always was eager for everyone to get along, hoo!"

"Although, to be honest, he gets excited about everything." Jackle said, folding his arms.

"Just the same as any young being." Owl replied, shaking his head, "Always full of energy. When he's not playing with the visitors he usually spends his time flying around the place, to exhaust his energy."

"What do you do around here?" Jackle asked, curiously, "I'm not trying to be rude, but you look like you've been around a while. Surely you don't join NiGHTS when he's playing with the visitors, right?

"Correct. I do not join their activities." Owl confirmed, "I merely offer advice, when it's needed, and spend the rest of my time in tranquil contemplation."

"Tranquilwhatnow?" Jackle asked, confused.

"_It means he lazes about and whines about his own inadequacies." _Jack explained, sourly, suddenly changing into his other, more aggressive, mood, _"Like how he could be doing something else with his miserable life instead of polluting our air with his foul stench."_

"It means that I spend my time thinking about the problems that we're having and trying to think of solutions." Owl replied.

"Problems? What problems?" Jackle asked.

"Well, we **do** have a war going on, hoo!" Owl reminded him, "Also, there are matters which are rather…personal to me. In any case, I have something that needs doing. You will excuse me if I don't stay here and watch your introductions?"

"Yeah. You can go if you want." Owl seemed to smile, before he flew back to the trees, humming to himself.

"_So, what do ya think the kids will be like, hmm?" _Jack asked, yet again being affected by a mood swing, the smile re-appearing on his face, _"I bet they're both ugly."_

"Could you be quiet for more than ten seconds?" Jackle asked, exasperated, "You're getting on my nerves."

"_So, you'd prefer a bunch of whining teenage kids over me?"_

"I didn't say that. I just said you should keep your fat mouth shut and stop commenting on every, single thing that happens. Just hearing your voice **once **a day is bad enough."

"_Oh yeah? Well…at least I'm not ugly."_

"Ugly? You and I look the same!" Before Jack could come up with another weak retort, NiGHTS came back out of the door, still smiling like a loon.

"Hey! Where'd Owl go?" He asked, then shrugged and muttered, "Whatever. Anyway, I've brought someone." NiGHTS glided towards Jackle, gently tugging a small, blue-haired boy along with him. He wore a purple t-shirt and a green pair of trousers. His eyes were the same colour as his hair. He seemed a bit timid as NiGHTS cheerfully introduced the two of them.

"Jackle, this is Elliot. Elliot, this is Jackle. Now if you'll excuse me." NiGHTS flew off once again, soaring through another one of the doors, and leaving Jackle and Elliot alone.

"Does he ever stay still?" Jackle asked.

"Not really." Elliot replied, quietly, "He's really active most of the time."

"Then he hasn't changed much." Jackle noted, "He was always like that when I used to know him."

"NiGHTS said you were with the nightmaren as well, is that true?" Elliot asked, regarding Jackle cautiously.

"Yeah…but I'm not with them anymore." Jackle lied, trying to sound convincing. Elliot nodded in acknowledgement, but still seemed a little uneasy. When NiGHTS returned, he was leading a very familiar-looking pink haired girl. Jackle later recognised her as Claris, who he had met just before NiGHTS abandoned the nightmaren cause. Jackle hadn't spent enough time with them to fully judge them, but from he'd seen, he quite liked the two dreamers. Claris seemed genuinely happy to meet him, Elliot was a bit distant at first, but became more comfortable around Jackle as time passed.

They spent the rest of the day (Or night, from the dreamers' perspective) talking, playing and just messing about.

Jackle found himself enjoying it more than he'd expected, despite the headache which he had acquired at around midday. It reminded him a lot of the times before NiGHTS' betrayal, and he soon found himself immersed in it. Eventually, though, Claris and Elliot woke up and left nightopia. NiGHTS had gone off to find Owl, who had not been seen for quite some time, so Jackle had decided to have a more thorough look-around of the NiGHTS' home. He was wandering through the forest area of the dream gate, when Jack reappeared once more.

"_Have fun?"_ He asked, walking alongside Jackle as he spoke.

"Yeah." Jackle replied, happily.

"_That's a first."_ Jack remarked, _"The whole time I've been around, you've always seemed moody or angry."_

"I was just stressed, I guess." Jackle said, frowning slightly as his headache worsened.

"_I suppose." _Jack muttered, _"But you should expect it to end very soon."_

"Why?" Jackle asked, confused.

"_Well, when something goes wrong, and seeing how your life has turned out so far, something __**will **__go wrong. You won't be as disappointed or upset as you would be if you didn't expect it." _Jack explained, grinning.

"I don't follow your logic." Jackle said, "Besides, why would something bad happen?"

"_Aw, come on. Isn't it obvious? Two 'evil' beings, who have supposedly 'redeemed' themselves, and two innocent, unsuspecting children. Something is gonna happen. Trust me."_

"I still don't get it." Jackle replied.

"_There's a surprise."_ Jack said, sarcastically, _"In any case, you're going to have to tell NiGHTS why you're really here at some point., aren't you?"_

"Well…yes…I suppose." Jackle muttered, he'd forgotten about that. He let out a small grumble of annoyance as his headache worsened even more.

"_Something wrong?"_ Jack asked.

"No. I've just had this headache all day, it's really starting to-" Jackle stopped mid-sentence as a sudden flare of pain shot through his head. Gasping, Jackle shut his eyes as the pain slowly ebbed away. He opened his eyes again to see Jack, looking overjoyed.

"What just happened?" Jackle asked, confused. Jack didn't reply. He just shook his head and laughed as he said,

"_Oh, you're gonna love this!"_ Jackle felt dread growing in his stomach as Jack giggled manically, all the while staring at something behind him. Jackle turned around, to see what he'd hoped he wouldn't. In front of him, stood…himself. The two of them looked the same, except the other's clothes were white, instead of Jackle's orange. Also the details on his clothes, such as his cape and the stripes on his hat, were purple. Jackle sighed. Just what he needed, another clone. He could only hope that this one was a less annoying part of his personality than Jack was. Before Jackle could say anything though, the clone yelled and jumped backwards.

"_You scared me!" _He whined, backing away from him, _"I thought you were something dangerous, like Wizeman or something."_

"_Oh, please." _An identical voice said. Jackle felt his heart sink, sure enough, there stood another copy. It looked the same as the new arrival, except the colours of it's clothes had been swapped around (Purple and white instead of white and purple).

"_Even if Wizeman was alive, he would be nothing compared to __**my**__ genius."_ Jackle's heart sank even further when he saw another clone appear, this one was yellow and white.

"_Very good observation, very good. But your genius is lesser to that of our master, the original Jackle."_

"Hold on." Jackle said, trying to get control of the situation, "I never said anything about being your master-" Jackle's heart had fallen out of his body and was currently making it's way underground as yet **another** clone appeared, this one was white and red.

"_What are you talking about?"_ He spat, angrily, _"I'm the original Jackle, not you!"_

"No, I'm the original." Jackle replied, confused. The clone also looked confused as he said,

"_But I never said I was the original Jackle."_

"You just did, right now." Jackle retorted, becoming annoyed.

"_No, I didn't."_

"Yes, you did."

"_No, I __**didn't**__!"_

"Yes, you **did!**" All of the clones had begun arguing amongst themselves, besides Jack, who was still in hysterics.

"SHUT UP!" Jackle yelled, and sure enough they all fell silent. "Can somebody tell me what's going on and who you are?" Jack sighed, mockingly.

"_Haven't you figured yet?"_ He jeered, _"They all represent parts of your personality."_ Jack pointed at the white and purple clone, _"He's a coward."_ He moved his arm over to point at the purple and white clone, _"He's an egomaniac." _Jack pointed at the yellow and white clone, _"He's a suck-up."_ Jack pointed his finger at the white and red clone as he said, _"And he's a liar."_

"_Am not!"_ The white and red clone protested. Jackle ignored him.

"How do you know that?" Jackle asked, his headache returning.

"_Well, I've been hanging out with them in your head for quite a long time now."_ Jack pointed out.

"So, they're clones like you?"

"_Yep."_

"How come you aren't coloured like they are?"

"_Er…because I'm awesome?"_ Jackle knew he wasn't going to get a real answer out of him, so he let the question drop.

"But I'm not egotistical…am I?" Jackle asked, confused. Jack just shrugged.

"_I guess not. I always thought that maybe there is a part of your brain that thinks like those clones do, but you just don't listen to it. That's my guess, anyway."_

"What part of me are you then?" Jack frowned.

"_Your…awesomeness? Attractiveness? Your feminine side? Intelligence?"_

"Idiocy?" Jackle suggested.

"_We both know that you've got that covered for both of us."_ Jack retorted.

"But why are they here?" Jackle asked, confused, "How come I can see them now?" Jack said nothing, a knowing smile playing on his face.

"What about you?" Jackle asked, addressing the new clones. "Can you tell me?"

"_Yes."_ The white and red clone replied.

"Great. Why are you here?"

"_Because the cookie-king commanded us to."_

"What?"

Jack sighed as he muttered,

"_He's a liar, remember?"_ Jackle groaned. Just as things were starting to look up, something had to happen to make things more confusing. This was going to be a long night…

_**Reala's POV:**_

Reala watched in astonishment as Jackle spoke to thin air. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, although in a way he could. This **was** Jackle after all. Everyone knew he was a nutcase. He really shouldn't be surprised to see him doing this. Reala shook his head, as he sat at the top of the tree he'd been using to oversee the area. Perhaps Jackle wasn't cut out for the mission after all, which would say a lot since the mission was relatively simple. Wonderful. Reala didn't think he would be able to cooperate with NiGHTS, and the only other person that NiGHTS could trust was talking to a tree. What could possibly go wrong?

_AN: That's right! Welcome, to Operation Mindf***! I know I said I wouldn't bring in anymore fan-characters, but these guys are needed…sort of. And I figured I should have some fun with them. Also, they're the worst kind of fan-character…RECOLOURS. But it does make sense seeing as they're part of him, so they __**should**__ look like him. And it'd be harder to tell who they all were if they all looked the same. I'll try not to include them all too much, it'd just make things confusing. Anyway, R&R._


	12. The Dreamer and The Dream

_AN: I'm back, and after a couple of weeks, it's only NOW that I realise I could've just put this whole thing in one story, and that splitting it was kinda pointless. Oh well, too late now. Also, just a request, could you please try and be more critical in your reviews? If you don't like something, be honest about it. If you think I could improve my writing in someway, tell me. I would appreciate it._

_**Angelina's POV:**_

She liked her castle. It gave her a sense of security that she couldn't have in the waking world. Of course, filling it with dangerous creatures probably wasn't the best use for it but she had her reasons. For one, she'd noticed that the majority nightmaren were, to put it simply, pawns. Without somebody to instruct them, they were hopeless. She had been in contact with Sire, for quite some time before the nightmaren split into their factions. He was a lot different to his blood-brothers. He seemed the most…human. He was not driven by bloodlust or the belief he was made to serve, unlike the other nightmaren. He believed that the nightmaren could decide their own future. Of course, Wizeman would've deemed him a failure and killed him had he known about Sire's mindset, but was murdered before he could learn anything about his psyche.

During his time in power, Sire had been subtly trying to convince the nightmaren that they should side with their old allies. Of course, he couldn't suggest it publicly. The nightmaren were violent by nature and would no doubt kill him for even thinking that they shouldn't exterminate The Guides completely. So, he was patient. He tried to slowly give the nightmaren the idea that war wasn't the right course of action, at the same time pretending that he was as angry with The Guides as they were. Unfortunately, the nightmaren didn't get the hints and those that did were too afraid to voice there opinions.

So he'd decided to ask a Guides insider -NiGHTS- to help him. He was killed in the process. Since then Angelina had been trying to finish what he had planned to do, and unite the factions. Already, she had encountered a problem. She stood in one of the many white corridors of the castle. She had heard an uproar down on the lower floors and had come to investigate. Arguments and fights were normal during the day, but most of the nightmaren were asleep at this time, so she was curious. She now stood in front of a pack of furious-looking nightmaren, all listening avidly as another nightmaren spoke. They didn't notice her until she asked,

"What's going on?" Although her voice was quiet, everyone heard her. The nightmaren turned to look at her, and she was immediately unnerved. She was used to them treating her respectfully, so she was surprised when they all glared at her hatefully. She was even more surprised when she saw who they had been listening to.

"Ah! I have been meaning to have a word with you, dreamer." Reala said, snidely, smirking at Angelina's shocked expression.

"Reala?" Angelina gasped, unusually emotive. "Why are you here? I thought-"

"You thought I was doing as you said." Reala interrupted, his smirk changing into a scowl, "Have you ever considered that you take too much for granted? That your mind might not be the most developed in this castle?"

"You abandoned the mission?" Angelina asked, returning to her usual manner.

"I decided I no longer wished to carry out your foolish task." Reala confirmed, still scowling, "I decided that surrender was not an option. Frankly, none of us," He gestured to the group behind him,

"want to be associated with The Guides."

"Reala, we've discussed this." Angelina began, trying to stay calm, "You know tha-"

"I shall tell you what we know," Reala growled, "We know that our leader was killed before he could even begin to negotiate with The Guides. Who is to say that they won't do the same to anyone else we send? It is obvious that they want to fight and will not be convinced otherwise."

"But NiGHTS could-"

"**NO!" **Reala shouted, once again cutting Angelina off, "He will not agree with the plan, he hated Wizeman and still hates anyone who was associated with him. As for Jackle, it is clear he is mentally incapable of performing his task." As Reala spoke the other nightmaren nodded, still glaring at Angelina. It seemed they completely agreed with everything being said. She doubted that Reala had told them the whole truth - that their race would be put in danger of dying out if the war continued - most likely, he'd made up the part about NiGHTS and Jackle, and was making himself to be the hero, even though he was putting his entire race in jeopardy. Angelina, for once, was at a loss for words.

_**Reala's POV:**_

Reala couldn't help but smile at the girl's silence. She'd believed herself to be the leader of his race, but she was just a child. Without her guards and obedient servants, she was nothing. Angelina remained silent for a while, then asked,

"You've yet to tell the entire castle, I take it?" Reala was slightly disappointed that she didn't show as much emotion as she had earlier, but hid it well.

"I have not told them yet." He confirmed, "But that is not important, what **is** important is that I remove your nauseating presence from our ranks." Angelina raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"You want to get rid of me?" She asked, her face as blank as ever. At this, the nightmaren screamed insults, in turn answering her question. Nightmaren were being woken up by the noise and had started to pour into the corridor, watching confusedly.

"Well, that isn't going to happen."Reala's smile faded.

"Excuse me?"

"There are people in this castle who don't want to fight." Angelina insisted. Reala stared at her for a moment, then burst into laughter. The group behind him were quick to follow his lead. Reala's laughter eventually died down. He then addressed the crowd that had gathered around them,

"You heard the girl!" He shouted, the smile still present on his pale face, "If you wish to stand with your brothers and exterminate the vermin who insult Wizeman's name, by all means do so. However, if you wish to stand with this dreamer and repeatedly fail in your many attempts for peace, let your self be known." There was silence. Reala's supporters howled with laughter and began hurling insults at Angelina. The others seemed uncertain at first, then they joined in-giggling madly and calling Angelina every name under the sun.

"Nobody?" Reala asked, feigning disappointment, "Oh dear. Looks like you are on your own, dreamer." Reala didn't need to tap into her mind to figure out her fears. She had already told him. As Reala changed his appearance, so as to (At least through her eyes) look like her tormenter, her eyes widened with fear. Within seconds, she had lost her usual, unemotional façade and was desperately trying to get through the wall of nightmaren behind her. They laughed and pushed her back towards Reala. Reala lunged. Angelina screamed, shutting her eyes and covering her face, and then…she had disappeared. All that was left of her on this world, was a single, floating orb. She was gone. She wouldn't return. And the way was clear for Reala to assume command of the nightmaren, and finally take revenge on his traitorous brothers, consequences be damned.

_**Jackle's POV:**_

Jackle found himself alone, standing in front of a large lake. He stood in a empty, grassy plain. The sky was a bright blue and completely empty. Their was no sun, yet Jackle stood in the sweltering heat. But he wasn't alone. In front of him, half immersed in the lake water, was himself. Jackle knew he should've been surprised, but he wasn't phased by it in the slightest.

"_Who are you?" _The Jackle in the lake asked, looking puzzled.

"I am Jackle." Jackle replied, simply.

"_Is that what you are?" _The other Jackle asked, speaking in a frowned, then said,

"No. That's what I am called."

"_What is 'I'?" _Jackle was confused by the question.

"I am I." He replied, after some thought, "I is me."

"_Am I you?"_

"No."

"_But I am I, as well as you."_

"But we are separate, proved by this conversation." Jackle pointed out. The other Jackle nodded in agreement. Suddenly all of Jackle's embodied personalities appeared before him.

"_What about them? Are they them or you?"_

"They are part of me, but they are still they."

"_Why is that?"_

"I do not think or feel like they do, yet they inhabit my mind."

"_And why is that?"_

"Because they are parts of my mind. My consciousness."

"_Then they are you."_

"But I am not them."

"_Not at the present moment."_ The other Jackle disagreed. _"An I can be another I if the situation requires it."_

"I don't understand." Jackle said, confused.

"_What is Jackle?"_ The other Jackle asked, not bothering to explain his earlier statement.

"A name. A title. I am the being referred to as Jackle."

"_And are they Jackle?"_

"No. They are they, not me."

"_Yet you say they are you."_

"**Part** of me." Jackle corrected, trying to figure out what his double was talking about, "I am my true self. They are copies." The other Jackle was silent for a moment. The images disappeared, replaced by one of NiGHTS.

"_He is he, not I. Correct?"_

"Wrong. He is I, but not me."

"_I do not understand."_

"Like you, he is an 'I', but not of me. We separate, he is a different entity."

"_I see. Yet he affects your actions, your decisions, without being part of you. How is that?"_

"He is my friend. I do what he suggests, I trust him."

"_Is that the same with them?"_ The other Jackle questioned, the images of the personalities reappearing around NiGHTS.

"No. They're just copies."

"_Of who?"_

"Of me. But I'm my true self, they're not me." Jackle repeated. The other Jackle frowned, then muttered,

"_There is someone else who is your true self."_ Jackle gave his double a confused look,

"I'm sorry?"

"_You know him and he exists."_ The other Jackle went on,_ "You deny that fact and try to suppress that fact because you fear that your present self will no longer exist if your other true self exists. You don't want to acknowledge it because you're afraid._

"_And while the two exist, one will always try to win over the other, thus eventually destroying your true self."_

"Which one?"

"_One, the other, or both. You are afraid, because you will cease to be. That you might disappear from the minds of those who know you and you will be replaced by yourself."_ The images began to fade, along with the grass and the sky, which dissolved into blackness.

"_You fear that you will cease to exist." _

The blackness was replaced by the insides of a tent. Confused, Jackle sat up.

"_It was a dream."_ He realised, _"A stupid, stupid dream."_ Jackle stood up inside the tent (Incidentally, NiGHTS and Jackle both slept in separate tents inside the forest area of the dream gate), and went outside. Sure enough, he was at the dream gate.

"Hey, Jackle!" A voice called from his right. Jackle turned to see NiGHTS gliding happily towards him, "C'mon, Elliot and Claris will be here soon, better eat while we can."

"Right. I'll be right with you." NiGHTS nodded, then glided off, humming to himself. Jackle thought for a moment, shook his head, and followed. The dream had been confusing, but it was just a dream. Nothing out of the ordinary. He soon forgot about his clone's confusing words, not knowing or caring about what the future would hold. Or how that dream was significant in said future...

_AN: Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter than the others. I know the dream thing is a cliché, but whatever. Not much else to say so…R&R!_


End file.
